Summer 2015 Hiatus Challenge Stories
by GalaxieGurl
Summary: Written to participate in the summer hiatus challenge, and while away the time before Season 11. I don't own any of Bones except the wanderings of my own imagination.
1. Chapter 1

Finger

Temperance Brennan paused in the midst of her examination of the skeleton spread out before her on the lighted table in the Bone Room. It had been unearthed in a field near Belleau Woods, Verdun, France, and so presumably belonged to a World War I soldier she was trying to identify. She glanced at the metal tray of items near his feet. As she was adjusting the magnifying glass to focus on a deep cut in a rib, a glimmer of light caught her attention. There was something shiny among the dull uniform buttons, partial bullet casing and fragments of a trigger.

She stepped to the foot of the table and picked up the reflective item, a badly scratched and dented man's plain gold ring. Holding it under the magnifier, she peered closer. Along its interior curve she could make out the letters "Fr m Ida, fo ev r." Brennan stopped and smiled sadly. This man had been cherished by someone long ago. His fiancée or his wife? During the early 20th century, young women only gave young men rings when they were closely bonded, she knew. The ring also bore some initials, which eventually enabled the anthropologist to restore the skeleton's identity, as a Marine lieutenant from Hartford, Connecticut, Henry Wolcott.

Brennan finished writing her notes in his file, gently replaced Wolcott's bones in the clear plastic box, slid the papers back into a heavy protective sleeve, laid them atop the skeleton and closed the lid. The Wolcott family would soon have their brave relative returned to them. She pulled off her gloves and straightened the wedding ring on her finger. As always when she saw it, her thoughts turned to Booth, grateful they'd found their 30-50 years together, filled with love and children and family. Unlike poor Lieutenant Wolcott.


	2. Chapter 2

Bad

Brennan stood in the sunny kitchen, her spatula halfway under an apple cinnamon pancake, preparing to flip it over before calling her boys to breakfast. She made a face at Christine, who had just gleefully tossed another handful of Cheerios over the side of her high chair tray. "There are undoubtedly more of those on the floor than in your tummy, Little Miss," she chuckled to the baby.

Suddenly, Parker burst through the kitchen door, grabbed the broom and dustpan from the pantry closet, and ran back outside. "Bad dog, Riley; bad dog!" he scolded the brown floppy-eared puppy who cocked his head at Parker in confusion. Scattered around his oversized paws were chunks of pottery, clumps of potting soil, and an uprooted geranium plant. "Bones is gonna kill us!" Parker moaned. "She and Dad spent all last Saturday planting these, and this is the second pot you've overturned this morning! At this rate, they'll never let me keep you; you're gonna be headed back to the breeder, for sure. "

Brennan stuck her head out of the storm door, and looked at Parker and the dog. "Parker, I appreciate your cleaning up Riley's mess, but we're not sending him back to the breeder. We just have to teach him not to dig in the flower pots."

"Bones, I'm sorry; I think he's burying his chew sticks in there. I'm finding chunks of rawhide in here," Parker wailed. "I bopped him on the nose with a newspaper, but he just stares at me. "

"We have to catch him in the act or he won't connect the punishment with his misbehavior. Let's set up the camera on that ledge up there, monitor Riley's activities and correct him right away. You'll see, he'll learn."

"Bones, you're the best!" Parker beamed and hugged her. "I'm so lucky Dad met you!"

Brennan smiled and squeezed him back, "Thanks, Parker, love you too! I couldn't agree more! Go call your dad for breakfast, please."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Intelligence

"Girls just wanna have fun…" Brennan straightened up from examining the unusual remains with Cam to answer her cell phone.

"Bones, I know your Aztec mummy friend just arrived from the Mexican museum this morning, but can you break away from your hot Mayan date this evening and come with me on a stake-out? We've received intelligence that the Picnic stalker might be visiting his mother at Golden Harvest Villa and I need your beautiful brain to analyze if he's our killer when he leaves tonight at closing time. We have surveillance footage of a figure entering and leaving the crime scene, and security video tape of a person who's been coming monthly to see this ailing lady. Our forensic techs believe both tapes show the same guy. I thought we could grab an early dinner at the diner, I can show you the two recordings, and then we can head over to observe him as he leaves the care center tonight. Please, Bones?"

"Booth, Aztecs are not Mayan and I don't date mummified remains. Can't you take Dr. Guesclin since he's on exchange from Montreal? I believe he's qualified to make this comparison," Brennan countered.

"Nope, Cullen only trusts your superior intelligence. He says I've got to get your blessing before I arrest any suspects!"

"Booth, I don't bless anyone, much less possible felons. I'm an atheist."

"Come on Bones, it's an expression…hey, you're yanking my chain, aren't you? I know you've heard that phrase before!"

Her tinkling laughter came through his phone. "Yes, Booth, I'm teasing you."

"Dr. Goodman, can we resume our analysis here in the morning?... Yes, Booth needs me….Thank you."

"Bones, I'll pick you up in twenty minutes! Chop, chop! "

bbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

Later that evening…

Thanks for helping me out here, Bones."

"That's what partners do, Booth."

"You know…. it's a sign of my superior intellect that I knew we'd make it together!"

"Yes, Booth…..You are a very intelligent man."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Announce

Christine Booth walked to the middle of the stage, faced the audience of expectant parents, paused, and announced, "And now for your enjoyment, entertainment and edification, the students of Jefferson Elementary School present their annual talent show."

She gave a little bow, hurried off stage, and soon reappeared alongside Michael Vincent Hodgins.

He turned to the audience and announced, "We will perform Abbott and Costello's 'Who's On First?"

The two children produced baseball caps from behind their backs, plopped them on their heads, and launched into the famous 1930's play-on-words comedy routine. Their delivery was impeccable. Parents and guests were soon chuckling, guffawing, giggling, and howling so loud that the pair had to pause until the laughter died down. They received loud applause as they left the stage.

Next, Michael and one of his best friends came out and performed the Monty Python "Dead Parrot" routine, which also garnered numerous laughs from the appreciative crowd of proud relatives.

These acts were followed by several dramatic readings, nursery rhyme recitations,, song and dance numbers, and a patriotic choral medley.

Booth had driven up to Willow River Retirement Center earlier in the week, and brought Pops back for a brief visit. The old man sat beside Brennan, laughing till the tears rolled down his cheeks. He wiped them with his handkerchief, but it did no good, since he just kept chuckling at the antics of the students on stage. Seated on the other end of the row, next to Angela, Billy Gibbons removed his signature sunglasses and did much the same, having come to D.C. for a concert at the perfect time.

After the talent show ended, the two families went out for ice cream. Pop announced that it had been years since he'd laughed that hard.

Billy Gibbons grinned at Michael Vincent and declared, "If laughter is the best medicine like they say, I'm gonna live a long time, thanks to you and Christine, kiddo!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Day

Booth opened one eye as he was awakened by something tickling his nose. The bedroom was still dark, but a hint of pale gray outside the window indicated that morning was not far off. He brushed a slender wisp of wavy hair off his face and looked at the owner of the curl, who was slumbering deeply beside him. Raising himself gingerly on one elbow, he smiled wryly to himself, and leaned over to kiss his wife. Brennan snored softly, stirred, and peered up at him through sleepy eyes. He gestured slightly, and she rolled toward him, smiling too. Curled up between them, sleeping soundly was their three year old daughter.

"She had a bad dream after the rainstorm started. The thunder woke her and she was frightened by the lightning," Brennan whispered. "I know we don't normally put her in bed with us, but I was so tired from the crime scene excavation, I couldn't stay awake to sit with her. It was a very long day. I thought one night wouldn't form a habit of her needing to sleep with us," she said apologetically.

"No complaints from me, Bones," Booth whispered back. "Before we know it, she'll be too big to fit in our bed without pushing one of us out onto the floor, and probably consider herself too grown up to admit that she needs our comforting. I'll take cuddling with our baby while I can get it, and with you too, for that matter."

'Go back to sleep, Booth. You were all over that field with Aubrey. You've got to be exhausted too."

"See you in an hour, Bones, sweet dreams."

Later that morning over steaming cups of coffee, Booth chuckled, remembering. "Parker used to come barreling into my bedroom when he'd had a bad dream. He'd take one big leap, and land in the middle of the bed if I was lucky. Sometimes he landed on top of me. And then he'd cling to me like a baby monkey."

Brennan smiled, "I recall Max telling Mom I did the same thing, always on his side of the bed."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Murder

Booth and Brennan came dressed as Bonnie and Clyde, complete with Tommy guns. Cam and Arastoo came as Ray and Faye Copeland, Daisy and Sweets dressed up as Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck. Aubrey, Charlie Burns, Genny Shaw, Wendell, Clark, and Finn also showed up dressed as notorious murderers. Angela and Hodgins were impersonating Julius and Ethel Rosenberg as they welcomed their guests, loudly proclaiming their innocence to anyone who would listen, and espousing a conspiracy perpetrated against them by the U.S. government as only Hodgins could, quite in character.

Brennan at first thought it was odd that her best friend would host a "Cloak and Dagger Mystery Party" for which all the attendees had to dress as dastardly murderers, considering that the FBI and the Jeffersonian employees spent all their work days chasing criminals and trying to solve murders. But after Angela explained the party set-up to her, wherein the guests would endeavor to solve a hypothetical mysterious murder case, she decided it sounded like fun. It reminded her of playing "Clue" with her father, mother, and Russ. As a preteen, it had been one of her favorite family games.

Remembering their unique Valentine's Day celebration of blasting targets in the Jeffersonian basement shooting range with the antique Tommy guns she'd borrowed from the 1920's display, Brennan smiled to herself as she glanced in the mirror of Angela's powder room to check the jaunty knit beret she wore tilted over one eye. After several hours of hilarious role playing, wild guesses, and evidence gleaned by gathering playing cards from around the room, Aubrey exclaimed that he knew the identity of the killer. "Elsa la Fontaine murdered the lead male tenor soloist with a violin bow sharpened and thrust beneath his left ribs into his heart."

Despite the anatomical inaccuracy of his theory, the group acknowleged Aubrey as the winner of the night's charade-like game. After wine and dessert, the guests bid the Hodgins good bye and headed for home. "Angela, Jack, that's the most I've ever enjoyed solving a murder ever!" Booth assured them. "Thanks for hosting us with such an elaborate set-up. Your FBI offices are quite authentic! Searching through this enormous mansion for clues really made it realistic. This was really fun."

"See you guys on Monday, Thanks again," Brennnan agreed. "Thanks for having us."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Sad

Zach sat in the visitors' room of the Arkham Residential Treatment Center, staring at his mentor, speechless. "Booth has been in prison, and Dr. Sweets is dead?" he stuttered in disbelief.

It was the first time Brennan had been able to visit him since the treacherous Senate confirmation hearings five months back had turned her life with Booth into her life without Booth, and her world upside down. "Yes, Zach, Sweets was shot while executing a warrant. He managed to put a bullet in his assailant before he collapsed…" her voice trailed off and a tear slipped down her cheek. "Daisy is due in 3 months, and their son won't ever know his father; it's been tragic, sad, and heart-crushing for all of us. But clues from our analysis of his bones and particulates Hodgins gathered where he was shot enabled us to apprehend those responsible. His killer died from the wounds Sweets inflicted on him."

"I wondered why Sweets hadn't been to visit me, but they give us no information in here, so I had no idea. Poor Daisy….poor baby…." Zach said sadly.

"Daisy brought us Sweets' book manuscript, and some of his papers, Zach, including notes on his visits with you, Zach. Her lawyer told her that as his wife, she should read through his clinical notes to see if there was anyone else mentioned who could pose a threat to her or their son." Brennan paused and looked purposefully at Zach.

"She told me that you didn't kill Gormogon's last victim. She felt that I should know, but that Sweets couldn't see any way to free you from psychiatric care without you being sent to prison to complete your sentence. It pains me to have you confined here, but after what Booth went through in prison, that can't ever happen."

Zach looked straight back, his eyes boring into hers. "Dr. Brennan, Hodgins assured me I would fare very poorly in prison; I'm sure much worse than Agent Booth did, so I must ask you, as I did Dr. Sweets, to promise me you will not repeat this information to anyone else, nor try to act upon it to procure my release."

Sadly, Brennan agreed. "I concur, Zach, that could be catastrophic. So, yes, I promise." She rose, patted him on the back, and walked to the door. "I'll try to come again next month."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Plan

The seven-year old Booth twins, Hank and Zach, tiptoed down the hallway together after donning shorts and t-shirts in the dark. Hank, being in front, carefully grasped the door knob of Christine's room and turned it ever so slowly. He inched the door open, to avoid creaks, and silently entered. Zach was right behind him. Their eleven-year old sister was sleeping soundly, much to their surprise. They'd awakened at the first muted chime of their cellphones' alarm clocks, and had expected to find her already awake. They remedied the situation quickly, one shaking her shoulder gently, the other shushing her mumbled complaints. "Chris, it's Father's Day! Wake up! You're gonna mess up our plans; we gotta fix Dad's breakfast before he gets up to start Mom's coffee!"

"Okay, okay, give me a minute, you two," she groaned sleepily. "Go wake up Parker; I'll be there in a minute."

The twins looked at each other with dismay. They'd thought Christine would help them with Parker. Getting him out of bed early was even harder than waking their sister.

"Maybe we should take him a can of cold Pepsi to help him wake up," ventured Hank.

"Good idea," agreed Zach, "I'll get one out of his mini-fridge while you shake him."

"Gee, thanks, bro; how 'bout we get the Coke first and then we both shake him," Hank retorted.

"Whatever," muttered Zach.

Ten minutes later the four siblings were all in the kitchen, two wide awake, and two bleary-eyed. They made coffee, cheesy eggs, buttered toast, cut a cantaloupe in half, and dug out the seeds. Having divided the food between two plates and filled two mugs with steaming coffee, they carried two trays back upstairs, and knocked on their parents' bedroom door. A mumbled response from within indicated that their parents were barely awake and it was acceptable to open the door. (They'd all learned very young, NOT to enter Booth's and Brennan's room unannounced first thing in the morning, just in case their parents were amorously occupied.)

"Happy Father's Day, Dad!" they chorused. "Your first gift of the day is breakfast in bed!" Brennan sat up first, stuffed pillows behind her husband's back, and smiled at their children. Booth raised himself on one elbow, and grinned at his kids. "Thanks, guys, you just had to do this at 6:30 a.m.?"

"Hey, Dad, we've got a lot of good stuff planned for you today. Gotta get an early start, old man!" Parker chucked, saluting his dad with his own mug of coffee. "If I have to get awakened by these three at the crack of dawn, then so do you!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Ill

"Bones, I don't feel so good," complained Parker an hour after he and Brennan arrived home from the Jeffersonian. She had picked him up from school, as Rebecca was preparing clients for a trial the next morning and Booth had a meeting with Cullen and Hacker at the Hoover. Brennnan had taken Parker back to her office while she finished a report for Cam.

"My chest is itchy, and I'm really hot," the little boy whined as she felt his forehead and pulled up his shirt to inspect his torso. Brennan walked to the kitchen cabinet, retrieved a thermometer and held it to Parker's ear.

"Parker, I believe you have contracted the chicken pox. You have faint pink blotches on your torso and your temperature is elevated. I'm going to give you some Tylenol to bring it down and call your mother. Why don't you lie down on the couch and I will get you a light blanket. You can certainly stay here tonight as we had planned, but she may wish for you to come home after her meeting with her clients. Do you want me to turn on the television for you?"

"No, Bones, could you read to me instead? I wanna close my eyes for a while," Parker answered as she handed him two Children's Tylenol grape-flavored chewable tablets and a glass of water."

"Surely, Parker." Brennan retrieved a cotton afghan from her linen closet, and draped it over Parker's legs. She reached for her cell phone and sent Rebecca a text message about Parker's condition.

Rebecca responded a half-hour later. _"I will pick him up later this evening, Dr. Brennan. Most importantly, be sure Seeley stays away. He's never had the chicken pox."_

Brennan texted Booth next. " _Parker appears to have the chicken pox. Rebecca says you must avoid him right now, or you could contract the disease, and possibly develop orchitis_."

Booth: " **Orchitis? What's that?** "

Brennan: " _Inflammation of the testicles, which can cause sterility in adult males._ "

Booth: " **Ooh, Ouch! Give Parker a hug for me. Guess it's a good thing I didn't have him last weekend**!"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Secret

Booth and Brennan had been working on the surprise for Hank for weeks. Making arrangements with Gibbs had required careful coordination of their respective schedules, since the case workload Jethro handled was as heavy as that faced by the special agent and his favorite anthropologist. NCIS was called upon to solve murders just as frequently as the FBI/Jeffersonian Institution. Jack Hodgins and Abby Sciuto were equally skilled at teasing scientific clues out of muck and debris.  
A recent joint effort to identify and apprehend the killers of a Marine veteran FBI agent had been extraordinarily successful, and the individuals involved were becoming close friends.

Booth was pleasantly surprised when Father's Day weekend turned out to be open for both their unorthodox family and Gibbs' team. Hank had become a favorite of Angela and Hodgins as well as the various interns. His dry humor and down-to-earth wisdom entertained all of them as much as Jackson Gibbs delighted Abby and Gibbs' NCIS team of agents.

The plan had been Parker's idea, and quickly seconded by Christine. They had never heard of Jackson Gibbs until recently. A few years before Christine's birth, Hank had been reunited with his previously-estranged twin brother Jackson Gibbs, after decades of tragic antagonized separation. Booth and Gibbs had thrust them together to reconcile. When Hank and Jackson's father drowned on a fishing trip, the two teenagers blamed each other.

Parker had wanted Pops to go fishing with him and begged his dad to invite Gibbs and Jackson to come along. Being elderly, the twin brothers didn't see each other often, and Parker wanted to give them that chance. The planning began for a surprise Father's Day weekend at Booth and Brennan's camp for the two entire teams.

"Shrimp, why the devil do I have to wear a blindfold to drive up to your cabin?"

" _Leroy, why in tarnation are you making me wear this blindfold?"_

"Oh, my gosh!"

" _Holy smokes!"_

'You kids are something else!"

" _I knew you guys were up to something-"_

Parker and Christine interrupted their elders, "Surprise! Happy Father's Day, Pops and Jackson! Now let's quit yakking and go do some fishing!"


	11. Chapter 11 Behind

Chapter 11 Behind

As he stepped into the elevator, Booth pulled his cell phone out of his hip pocket and called his wife. "I'm leaving the Hoover; you need me to get anything at the market on the way home?"

"We're out of organic applesauce, get some cinnamon oatmeal please, and I need some lettuce for our salad. Try to get the red leafy type; it has more fiber than the iceberg kind you got last week, and Christine appears to be a bit constipated."

"That is way more information than I needed, Bones, it's a good thing I didn't have you on the speakerphone, I'm in an elevator behind three new agents," Booth cautioned Brennan. "Do we still have that bag of SkinnyPop popcorn, or did Parker eat it all last weekend? There's a Flyers game on tonight, and I'd like to have some snacks."

"No, Booth, we still have three-quarters of a bag. Thank you for thinking to call me. Christine is fussy and I'd rather not take her out before dinner. I'll finish the spaghetti sauce and have it ready by the time you arrive home. We have to complete several case files this evening, so you can hand them off to Caroline for obtaining warrants in the morning, and we don't want to fall behind on our paperwork. As soon as I put Christine down for the night, we can get started. What time does your sporting event begin?"

"The hockey match starts at 9 pm but I can record it on the DVR if I need to. You're right, we need those warrants to bring in the suspects, and Caroline doesn't take kindly to having her cases delayed. She is going to help her sister in Baton Rouge recover from surgery in two weeks, and I know she doesn't want her cases scheduled behind DA Hinton's. He takes forever to present a case, and it will delay her leaving if things don't progress smoothly. Do I need to bring you some Morning Thunder Celestial Seasons tea so you can stay awake this evening to get those files finished?"

"No, Booth, I only drink that in the mornings or I can't fall asleep easily. The caffeine plays havoc with my body's circadian rhythm."

"Hey Bones, I know how to restore your circadian rhythym….We just have to perform a few rounds of the horizontal mambo after the paperwork's done and Chrissy's asleep," Booth chuckled suggestively. "I can't allow you to fall behind on your beauty sleep!"

"Booth, really….! Yes, that sounds very appealing, but I thought it was the horizontal tango. You know I'm really a very good dancer, and I like to tango with you very much!"

"Bones, you are a naughty woman!"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Want

 _A/N: To everyone who's following my hiatus chapters, has 'favorited' them, and who've left me encouraging reviews and comments in the last few days; thank you so much. The mother of childhood friends passed away this week. Her kids were close companions of me and my siblings all through school; our parents were good friends and bridge partners. This lady was the last of the four adults to pass away, and a link to my past has disappeared. Hard to keep up with the details of life at such a time._

 _Still don't own any of this…._

Booth awakened with a start, roused by the gasping sounds next to him. Brennan's shoulders were shaking, her fists clenched against her eyes, her cheeks and the pillow wet from crying.

"Bones, wha-. what's wrong?" he asked, raising himself on one elbow and peering at her in the darkness. He put his arm around her shoulders, drew her into a tight hug, and kissed the top of her head.

"Booth, I'm sorry I woke you….I had a nightmare. I'd been left alone in an abandoned house, without water or food….wandering down a road, couldn't find my parents or Russ, …couldn't tell which way to go….no one wanted me, cared what happened to me…"

"Bones, there's lots of people who want you…me, Parker, your dad, Russ, Angela, Hodgins, Cam, the squints; lots of people love and care about you. It was just a dream…."

"I'd never met you, you weren't there, no one was looking for me…I was so hungry, and thirsty…"she whispered, her breathing ragged from her shuddering sobs.

"Hey, now, stop crying. Take it easy, calm down. Take some deep breaths," Booth instructed her, rubbing her back and pushing her hair back out of her face. "You will never want for anything as long as I draw breath, Bones. I love and cherish you beyond anything you can imagine."

I'm sorry I woke you. I know you are here with me. My nightmares aren't rational, but they seem so real; I felt so alone."

"Bad dreams make no sense, just misery. Bones. The terrible experiences you endured in foster care as a teenager would have broken a weaker person. Still, that abuse wounded you deeply, left marks on you; just can't see them. "

"You want me to go make you some hot tea?" he asked gently.

"No, Booth, I'll be fine. You're here. I just want you to hold me, and let's go back to sleep."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 Stranded

Brennan pushed her hair back out of her eyes with her forearm. Her hands were sweating inside the surgical gloves she wore to examine the Chiricahua Apache skeleton laid out before her. It had been discovered in a shallow caves near where Dani, Sheriff Dawes' sister, was rescued after Kirk Persinger's murder. Grateful for Booth and Brennan's help, the tribe had given her unusual access to the remains before they were reburied according to tribal custom. The desert seemed to begrudge their presence. Booth and she were stranded at the archaeological site when the San Pedro River Valley Indian deputy assigned to accompany them was called away to investigate a theft. The tribe didn't want the remains moved, so she was analyzing them in a hot, dusty tent.

Booth paced back and forth outside the tent like a restless cheetah. "For the love of Pete, Booth, stand still! You are driving me nuts!" Brennan scolded him.

"I can't believe that guy just drove off and left us. Who knows how long we'll be stuck out here?" he sputtered.

"Calm down, Booth. Unlike last time this happened, we have plenty of food and water in the cooler. You just need to be patient."

Hodgins chimed in happily. "I just found pottery shards, chipped stone cutting tools that appear to be obsidian, and numerous arrow heads. These artifacts will keep Dr. Goodman happy for months."

"How is Goodman going to examine these when they must remain here?" Booth wondered aloud.

"He and three staff techs are coming out next week." Hodgins responded. "There is nothing so invigorating as a field trip!"

Angela glanced up from her sketch pad to smirk the exuberant scientist. She and Hodgins were together now, but Brennan wondered if she was remembering Kirk.

This week-long excursion offered the foursome a break from crime investigations, which Booth felt Brennan needed. In his estimation, Arizona was too much like Iraq or Afghanistan to be an ideal vacation spot, but he'd do anything to keep his Bones happy. So he squelched his crack that he felt like a chocolate chip cookie baking in a giant oven.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 Wealthy

"Mom, are we wealthy?" Christine asked as she placed silverware on the table for dinner.

Brennan stopped midway through slicing a tomato, and stared at her daughter. "What makes you ask that question, honey?"

"Some kids at school said Michael Vincent and I were stuck up because we are wealthy. They said you got paid a lot of money for your books and Uncle Hodgins made up that rubber coating and got paid a lot too. They said it's not fair. I didn't know what to say."

"Christine, your dad and I work hard at our jobs. Angela and Hodgins do too. I do make extra money from writing books. Uncle Hodgins helped many people with his rubber coating invention. Many businesses use it to make their products better. They were grateful to Hodgins and paid him for his smart ideas."

"We are fortunate to have enough money to live comfortably. We have saved money for you and Michael to go to college. But we also use our money to help people who aren't as lucky as we are. Your dad and I give money to charity, as do Angela and Jack. But we don't go around bragging about it, because that is not the kind thing to do. You learn at church to help the poor, right? Well, that's what we try to do. But not for pats on the back. It is our responsibility to help our fellow human beings as best we can. Your dad helped a children's hospital hold a carnival to raise money for medical research when you were a baby, and he never told anybody what he was doing. Our friends thought he was sick, he went to the hospital so often. But that wasn't why. He was thankful you were healthy, and wanted to help children who aren't."

"Your classmates might be jealous, but it isn't their business. You don't need to explain. Just be kind and friendly, like I know you are."

"Okay, Mom, but they aren't very nice."

"No, honey, they aren't."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 Marriage

Booth checked the front door, back door, windows and alarm system before following Brennan upstairs for the night. To celebrate their wedding anniversary, he had taken her out to dinner at an Italian restaurant which offered excellent cuisine in meat and vegan varieties to tickle the most demanding palate. His Bones had become a very astute connoisseur of vegetarian cooking since they solved the Carli's Kitchen murder. Then he'd whisked her away to a little jazz club she loved, where they'd danced and enjoyed listening to the quiet smooth music. Now, he was planning to top of the evening with some masterful romancing of his beautiful wife. He still felt like pinching himself at his good fortune to have her in his life. He climbed the stairs, pulling off his tie and belt and shoes as he went.

The bedroom door at the end of the hall was barely ajar. He pushed it open gently, and peered inside. Brennan was waiting for him, lazing across their bed in a delicious dark purple nightgown which wrapped her curves perfectly. She smiled at him as only she could, and in spite of the fifteen years since their Jeffersonian garden wedding, his stomach flip-flopped and his heart soared.

"Booth," she purred. "I'm very glad you persevered for years to convince me that marriage is a valuable human institution. I must say that my personal experience over the last decade and a half has given me ample anthropological evidence that marriage does indeed contribute more to our well-being as a species than mere fulfillment of physical desires and sexual urges through random intercourse."

For once, Seeley Booth was speechless. He just stood there.

"Booth, are you going to stand in the hallway all night, or are you going to finish divesting yourself of your clothing so that I can properly demonstrate my enormous gratitude?"

"I'm coming, Bones, believe me, I'm coming…."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 Affected

Temperance Brennan had learned countless facts as a forensic anthropologist, gleaned from anatomy books, dissection labs, college courses and through hands-on experience 'out in the sticks' on field trips and digs. While not a botanist like Jack Hodgins, she was nevertheless adept at plant identification. Unlike Seeley Booth, despite his all his Army training.

Booth and Parker headed to their camp on the first Saturday morning in September. Brennan would follow after Christine's nap. While the weather was mild, Booth wanted to clear vegetation along the creek where he'd fallen chasing Jacob Broadsky. He and Parker loaded hoes, spades, shovels, clipper and trowels into the back of the pickup, headed over bumpy roads to the area he had in mind, pulled on work gloves, and got busy. After two hours of steady digging, tugging, and cutting, they'd made noticeable progress.

Booth was knee-deep in dense vegetation when he suddenly howled in frustration. His forearms were covered with angry red scratches and tiny spines. Feeling an immediate painful burning sensation on his skin, he scrambled out of the underbrush and sat down heavily on a log. "Parker, quick," he panted, "get my phone out of the truck and call Bones."

"Dad, put your arms in the creek. The water might help," Parker suggested.

An hour later later, Brennan pulled up in her Prius. "Parker, sit in the car and amuse Christine while I take a look at your father, please.

Kneeling down in the grass, she examined Booth's forearms. "You came in contact with Stinging Spurge _or_ _ **Caidoscolus angustidens**_ , These tiny hollow stickers inject poison under your skin, and cause inflamation. You should've worn long sleeves."

"Parker's idea helped me a lot," Booth said proudly between grimaces. "The cool feels good. That's a perfect name for this awful plant."

"Booth, you'd be more affected by the rash, if he wasn't here. Parker's Scout training paid off. The first thing I'm doing when we reach the cabin is calling Gladhill Tractor Mart."

"What, Bones, why? "

"I'm buying you a bulldozer!"

 **A/N: Just so y'all know, your kind reviews, follows, and favorites for my hiatus chapters have _affected_ me in a very positive manner. Awkward phrasing, but necessary to use 'the word of the day' herein. Occasionally, even college-aged offspring have problems arise for which parental assistance is required. Thus was the case this week. My time for writing was curtailed by motherly necessity. I'm tickled pink and blue and green that you enjoy these little stories. This space also lets me tell the reviewers who don't have profiles how much I appreciate their comments. Those of you like JSBonesLover who write expressively kind reviews should jump into the fan fiction pond and make waves with stories of your own.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 Long Hours

"Long hours," thought Booth, as he sat listening to Cam's budget presentation to the Jeffersonian administrators. "Those two words define our lives, mine and the squints' for sure. If it wasn't for the fact that I get to spend them with Bones, they'd be far more onerous. I've always gotten absorbed in solving cases, in seeking justice for victims, but somehow she put new impetus into my work. She won't settle for an almost proof of guilt or a fairly good theory of motivation; she insists on delving until she's convinced she's uncovered the truth."

He grinned to himself, "Follow the evidence," she said. "First the truth, then the catching," he remembered her statement so clearly he could hear her voice in his head.

Seated beside her partner, Temperance Brennan had similar thoughts running through her head. "I used to spend such long hours poring over the bones in Limbo; time would pass without my even noticing that I had missed lunch or dinner. They held my attention in such an engrossing fashion that minutes had no meaning. I felt more at home with the dead than I did with the living, who had mostly mistreated me and failed to offer friendship, affection or support. Until I met Seeley Booth…."

"He turned my world upside down," she mused silently, with a slight smile. "And improved it immeasurably, in spite of driving me completely pecans." She chuckled silently, purposely misquoting the expression.

"Excellent presentation, Dr. Saroyan," the Senior Director remarked. "Your expenditures are higher than before we brought you on board, but donations are up sharply as well. This partnership between the Museum's Medico-Legal Lag and the FBI seems to spark the imagination of our visitors and supporters and motivate them to greater generosity. I suppose the delivery of justice to victims of crime is a greater good than the mere study of ancient dusty bones, at least in the public's eye. Your team has increased available funding for all our departments, so we can hardly find fault with the concomitant rise in spending."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 Worthy

Seeley Booth straightened his tie and checked the medals and decorations' alignment one more time. The ceremony ahead demanded perfection. He disliked being singled out for recognition when every member of his unit deserved it just as much. He had been back from Afghanistan only a month and preferred losing himself in the routine of crime investigations. Locking his apartment, he walked to his SUV and drove to pick up Brennan. Her appearance took his breath away as she met him at her door. Her dress fit her perfectly and its color enhanced her eyes. She picked up her jacket and he helped her into it.

"I know you dislike fanfare, Booth, but you can hardly ignore a summons from General Issacson. The Jeffersonian team is being cited for their contributions to solving the murders of those schoolgirls, but your rescue of the survivors was the real achievement."

"Bones, I just wish they'd let me get on with my life. My guys are each worthy of recognition. Commanders shouldn't get medals, the soldiers should."

Brennan grasped his hand in hers and squeezed it tenderly, giving him an enigmatic little smile

The pair entered the main Jeffersonian exhibit hall, which was filled with banquet tables, chairs and a dais. Booth and Brennan greeted the museum donors attending the annual fundraising gala, and various military dignitaries in attendance. Once the meal was concluded, General Issacson rose, strode to the microphone and requested silence.

"This evening Special Agent Seeley Booth is being honored for courageous action during a recent rescue operation. Sergeant Major, please step forward."

"I have a surprise for him as well."

At that, a curtain moved aside to reveal Booth's comrades in formation. Despite standing at attention, every man was smiling.

"The Presidential Unit Citation is being awarded to Operational Detachment-Alpha 3623 for exceptional bravery."

Booth's posture remained ramrod straight, but his grin spread from ear to ear in a most unmilitary fashion.

"Now this is how they should do it all the time." he declared afterward. "Bones, did you know about this?"

A/N: For the name of Booth's unit, I borrowed the one from DharmaMonkey's Killing Two Birds. If you've never read it, treat yourself to an unsurpassed literary experience, and at least peruse it. She is an exceptional writer.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 Sinful

Nope, as stated at the start of this hiatus, I don't own any of Bones, not one little smidgen.

oooooooooooo

Booth and Brennan found themselves undercover for a weekend at the Hilltop Honeymoon Hideaway, a camp in the Catskills once known as a summer family getaway from the heat of Eastern seaboard cities, but now repurposed as a couples' resort for those in love. It was filled with both the newly-married and those reliving their earlier marital bliss.

An unfortunate young woman had gone missing, and resembled jerky by the time she was found in one of the sauna rooms. The Schoharie County coroner's report noted the difficult nature of her autopsy from resulting dehydration. The resort owners had 'lawyer-ed up' so Tony and Roxie were called in to investigate surreptitiously.

They unpacked and changed clothes to head to the pool area before dinner. Booth was ready first, decked out in red-white-and navy tie-dyed swim trunks in keeping with the upcoming Fourth of July weekend. He sat on the bed to wait for Brennan. She cracked the bathroom door, opened it slowly, and stepped out.

Booth emitted a low whistle in spite of himself. "Ohhh, Roxie, I gotta tell ya, doll, your swimsuit rivals that clingy red dress I love so much."

Dropping his cover, he spoke softly, "Bones, it's sinful how well that suit fits you….and that green color…oh, my. I'm glad we're married this time, so I don't have to keep my hands to myself." He stood up, took her in his arms and kissed her soundly. The thin silky fabric slid under his hands as he caressed her curves. "Do we have to go to the pool just yet?"

"Yes, Booth, duty calls," Brennan smiled at him. "Tony can play with Roxie all night long, okay?"

"Oh, he will. Roxie, he will. All. Night. Long."

Oooooooooooooo

I'm guessing that this is about as much as a 'T' rating will allow. Happy Independence Day to readers in the U.S.!


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20 Obvious

Booth stood at attention and saluted in front of the simple white marble cross marking the grave of Jamie Richards, before bowing his head to say a quick prayer for his friend. He repeated this ritual for Teddy Parker, Devon Marshall, and several of Pops' former comrades-in-arms. Brennan stood beside him, holding Christine's hand, and patting baby Hank in a carrier on her chest. Having come several times, the little girl knew what her father was doing this Fourth of July and why.

"Daddy, can we eat the peanut butter sandwiches and drink our Cokes now?" she asked. "I'm sta-r-ving, and I love Pops' favorite cemetery food!"

"Christine, it's a picnic," Brennan began.

"I know, Mommy, but you only ever let me drink Coca Cola when we come here!"

"Sure, kiddo, Pops would be proud of your being so quiet for his friends."

Once they had spread their quilt, the little family tucked into their admittedly ceremonial lunch.

"You know, Bones, your ability to examine and analyze the people we help still amazes me. It used to confound me, but after watching you and the squints for years, I've realized that you read them the same way I read a person's body language during an interrogation," Booth remarked. His words were carefully chosen to avoid discussing murder and death in front of their children.

"Sometimes the causes are immediately obvious and other time we have to delve into the minute details to discern what happened to them," Brennan responded in the same coded parental language.

Booth leaned over their daughter's head and kissed his wife. "That day when you told me you thought you could be a duck was the luckiest of my life. Without it, we wouldn't be where we are today."

"Booth, it became obvious to me we were meant for one another. My stoutly maintaining I didn't believe in Fate was a defense mechanism against my foster experiences. I'm so glad you convinced me to try for our 40 or 50 years."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21 Caught

As the sun's first rays into the living room, Parker was sound asleep on the couch, the television still on, with the sound quite low. He'd fallen asleep watching a movie. Two little feet carefully tiptoed around his guitar which lay on the floor; two bright little eyes studied the teenager's face. Then the five-year old continued his stealthy journey to the kitchen, where he slid three drawers open for a ladder and quietly climbed up onto the counter. He got to his feet ever so carefully and reached for the cabinet door. Dolly Madison Powdered Sugar Donut Gems were inside. He cautiously picked up the box and sat down on the counter with his prize, little legs dangling over the side. Ah, they tasted just as good as he remembered. He only ever got them when his dad and he did the shopping on nights when his mother visited Aunt Angela. Suddenly, he realized someone else was in the kitchen.

"Henry Joseph Booth, what do you think you're doing, sneaking down here like this?" Parker asked very quietly. He grabbed his little brother around the waist with one arm and the donut box with the other hand, and carried them to the dining table.

"Please don't tell Mom," Hank begged.

"You silly goof, why would I? I love them, too. When Dad and Bones were partners, she'd never let me have sweets when she picked me up from school, only fresh fruit or organic popcorn. My mom was the same way. Dad was the only one who let me eat these on my weekends with him."

ooooooooooooooo

An hour later, Booth found both his sons asleep on the sofa, their faces streaked with powdered sugar. He went to the kitchen and opened the donut box.

"Nearly, gone, those locusts! Ahh, this is food for the gods on a Saturday morning!" he chuckled to himself as he stuffed one in his mouth. "Like father, like sons."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22 Splatter

Angela had had it. She was sick and tired of drawing dead people's faces. Yes, she knew it was a worthy use of her artistic talent, restoring victims' identities so the rest of their team could bring the killers to answer for their violent misdeeds, which had robbed others of life. But her sensitive soul was fed up with ugliness and pain. She told Cam she was leaving for the afternoon. Didn't ask, told. The coroner wisely said nothing, and waved her on.

She flung her purse and tote bag onto the entry hall table, and fled down two flights of stairs to the sunlit art studio Hodgins had built for her. Donning a smock, she spread canvas tarps on the floor and set a new canvas up on her easel. She took several tubes of paint from her work table, squeezed out colors into several small cups, thinned them to her liking, and picked up a thick bushy paint brush.

Facing her canvas, she dipped the brush into one cup and slapped it against the surface. She repeated this process over and over, flinging streaks, veins, splatters, and blotches of dark blue, violet, gray, and charcoal across the previously pristine surface.

Stopping to consider her work, she took a deep breath and realized she felt a little better; relieved of the burden of sadness which had overwhelmed her that morning. She heard a door behind her eased open and quiet footsteps approaching. Strong arms reached around her shoulders, gathering her into a tight hug.

"Angie, you alright?" her husband asked softly. "I asked Brennan to take Michael Vincent home with Christine for the evening. You want them to keep him overnight?"

"No, Jack, I painted out my stress. I'd like to give our son a hug before bed."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23 Flight

Booth and Brennan pulled apart in painfully slow motion, their hands clasped and fingers entwined until the last possible moment. In an almost exact replay of an airport scene from years earlier, they were heading in opposite directions across the earth; she to supervise a dig in Zimbabwe; he to serve as an advisor to the Syrian rebel troops struggling to restore their homeland.

"Take care of yourself, Bones. Keep that stun gun handy; it's better than a shovel for incapacitating jungle thugs."

"You watch yourself, Booth, and PROMISE me you'll forget about being a hero this time. Just advise those troops; don't participate!"

I'll see you in six months. We'll meet at the coffee cart."

oooooooooooooooooo

But this time, there was a significant difference….

Their final lingering hand grasp was preceded by enormous hugs and several long passionate kisses. On one of their reluctantly-loosed fingers, each wore a simple white gold band. Despite the parting of these two people, it did not signify a separation of their hearts and minds.

Booth had promised his Bones he would not prevent her pursuing her archaeology studies around the world. He was still deeply concerned for her safety, but knew that denying her would be like blocking the sun from rising. He prayed the security force would do a thorough job of protecting his wife.

She was agonizingly worried about his re-engaging with the military. Granted, he had a signed agreement this time as a civilian contractor. They had to honor his desire to return to the States at the end of this stint. She had to trust that he would stick to his role as an advisor and not take charge of every assault and mission.

This time their promises involved someone else. Brennan was a month pregnant.

.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24 Slip

The first morning in Syria, Booth opened his duffle bag, hunting for his dop kit to shave. He unzipped the black leather case, and reached in for his razor and Barbasol. His hand encountered an index card.

"That's odd, I don't remember packing that," he mused sleepily, still suffering from jet lag. He pulled it out and peered at it with groggy eyes,

"Booth, I love you beyond reason, I cherish you beyond eternity, I miss you beyond hope, and I hold resolute thoughts for your well-being and safety until we are together again. Love always, Your Bones."

"Oh, Bones," he thought as his eyes filled with tears.

ooooooooooooooooo

Brennan reached into her messenger bag to retrieve the new notebook in which she would record her notes from this dig. She purchased a Moleskine journal for each expedition she made. She pressed its spine flat at the first page.

There she noticed words she didn't recall having written. Its script was unmistakable—Booth's.

"Bones, I hope you find the missing link. You already hold the key to my heart, linked to yours by an unbreakable bond of love, respect, devotion, and friendship. Time will creep by until we are reunited. Skype is a poor substitute for having you near me. Excavate, dig, brush, and scrutinize those dusty bones and artifacts to your heart's content, but live up to your name and be safe at all times, Temperance, my precious wife. You are in my thoughts and prayers until you return."

"Oh, Booth," she murmured, choking up.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Six months to the day they parted, their coffee cart vendor friend spotted his favorite customers running toward each other in the middle of the National Mall; oblivious to everything and everyone except each other. They hugged so tightly and kissed so intensely, neither could breathe.

"No more digs for a long, long time, Bones!" Booth declared between kisses.

"No more military advisor gigs for you, Mr. Special Agent Man!" Bones retorted and kissed him again.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

 **A/N: Happy Fourth of July! The 'slip' refers to their messages to each other. Thanks to all for the favorites, the reviews, and the follows. Our upstairs A/C gave out—that's serious in summertime Oklahoma and I've been researching replacements. Thank goodness for the window unit in our son's bedroom. Bought for a teenage boy who wanted to sleep in 59 degrees, now rescuing the family.**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25 Escape

Saturday evening Parker patiently helped Christine and Hank build a blanket fort in Booth's man cave. Independence Day fell on a Friday and his dad had asked him to keep the younger children so he could treat Bones to dinner and a Saturday night away. Christine had convinced her father to let them spend the night in the fort. Parker arranged their sleeping bags on the deep plushy carpet. He offered to sleep with them, provided he could 'rack out' on the 8 foot leather sofa rather than the floor. Wondering how to lull them to sleep, Parker recalled that Hank and Christine have never seen "An American Tail," and rented a Redbox DVD of the first two movies in the series.

After board games, wrestling matches, tickling bouts, ice cream and popcorn, Parker supervised baths, pajama-ed his charges, got them into their sleeping bags, gave each a flashlight and left a night light on so they could find the bathroom easily. Then inserting the DVD into the player, he settled in to relive a bit of his childhood. Fievel Mouskewitz's adventures captivated Hank and charmed Christine, who immediately grasped the movie's Fourth of July connection. Before the second movie ended, both kids were fast asleep and Parker followed soon after.

Early Sunday morning, Hank awakened first. He crawled around the fort, played with his Toy Story GI soldiers, and finally nudged Christine awake. She played with him for an hour, and then whispered in his ear. Creeping out of their fort, they tiptoed to the couch and pounced on Parker, trapping him under his blankets. With a roar, he sat up suddenly, toppled the kids to the floor, and made his escape to the kitchen.

"Chocolate chip pancakes, anyone? Come get the table set, you scoundrels!"


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26 Escape

 **A/N: For the purposes of this story, Booth and Brennan have twin sons, Max and Hank, after Christine**.

"How am I supposed to re-diaper you during all these gyrations?" Brennan sighed with exasperation as Hank rolled back and forth on the floor. The little boy giggled up at her with strikingly familiar brown eyes. One of the crib creaked ominously. She looked up in time to see Max with one leg hooked up over the crib rail. Before she could secure the Velcro tapes on Hank's Toy Story diaper, Max had his torso balanced on the rail, his little bottom up in the air. He was ready to flip himself down to the floor.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Brennan declared. She stuck the second tape closed, pulled down Hank's t-shirt, and jumped to her feet in time to capture his twin in her arms.

"Max, you little scamp, you're too much like your grandfather! Always trying to escape and slip away!" Max threw his chubby arms around her neck and laughed. His blue eyes twinkled with mischief, the same color as his namesake.

She set him down, and he toddled down the hall to the top of the stairway where Hank was trying to reach the safety gate clasp. He lost his balance and toppled over on top of his brother. Both little boys had renewed energy from their afternoon naps. Brennan fondly watched them wrestle each other, and then grimaced to herself. "I should have taken a nap myself while they were asleep instead of editing those three chapters. I need to call Saroya and move back my deadline until Booth and Parker are back in town."

She stalked toward them, her arms drawn up in front of her. "Tyrannosaurus Rex is going to catch you!" she growled, grabbing them in a hug. Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears at the unbidden memory of Mr. Nigel-Murray prancing about in their dinosaur skeletal replica.

 **A/N: As a toddler, our younger daughter climbed on everything, and was an escape artist when it came to her crib. The prompt word triggered this memory. Vincent Nigel Murray just suddenly popped into my head at the end. I still miss his character sorely.**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27 Honor

Parker sat dejectedly on the couch, his chin propped in his hands. It was time for his normal after-school cartoons, but the television screen was dark. Booth and Brennan came in the front door, arms full of groceries and greeted the pre-teen.

"Hey, Bub, why the long face? Booth asked his son. "You look like you lost your last friend,"

"I made a C on my Algebra test, Dad. I studied a lot, and I thought I knew the chapter pretty well, but I guess I didn't study enough. Most of the kids in my class did badly also, but Sam Jarelson and his buddies all made A's, so Mrs. Gillespie said she wouldn't curve our grades. So I'm stuck with a C."

"Parker, you know your mom and I want you to try your best, but if you did, and you got a C, we're not going to ground you. You'll just need to study a little harder next time. It's not the end of the world," his father soothed him.

"But, Dad, I heard Sam and his friends bragging on the bus that they cheated on the test. One of the guys' older brother took the class two years ago, and kept his papers, and told him that Mrs. Gillespie always uses the exact same test. I guess she's getting tired of teaching, since she's retiring next year, and she hasn't changed her tests in years. So Sam and his friends memorized the answers, and copied off each other to be sure they all put down the same answers."

"They rooky-dooed the rest of the class out of a better grade because they were dishonest. It's just not fair, but if I say anything, I'll make a bunch of enemies at school. They already think I'm a goody-two shoes because I stood up for Megan Bartlett on the bus last year when they were making fun of her."

"Parker, your school expects their students to abide by the honor system, and you did. I'm proud of you for doing your own work. If these guys continue to cheat, they will lack the knowledge to score well one of these days. Their misdeeds will catch up with them." Brennan told her step-son.

"What goes around, comes around, kiddo. They'll get their come-uppance sooner or later."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28 Ashamed

 _A/N: Still don't own Bones, and I got off on the chapter count. You guys got a bonus 'Escape' chapter by mistake. Being a former math major, this is driving me bonkers, but I can't seem to sync the numbering so oh, well. This is my least favorite prompt to date. No one enjoys seeing Booth suffer, but this is what I came up with._

Seeley Booth sat down on one of the bar stools at Aldo Clements' bar, the one that tilted to the side and creaked when a customer turned. Aldo looked up from the beer glass he was washing. "I thought you complained to me a few months ago that your back ached the morning after you sat on that stood and for me to fix it," he remarked. "Why are you sitting there, when I have lots of other stools available?"

Booth's shoulder slumped and he shrugged. "I deserve an achy back and a lot more."

Okay, Booth, do I have to put out my 'Advice 5 Cents' sign like Lucy in 'Peanuts' to entice you to talk? What's bothering you?"

"I started gambling again, Father. I made a bet and couldn't cover it, and my bookie threatened Bones and Christine while I was out of the country working. I put them in danger with my addiction; I don't deserve her; I'm so ashamed. If Pops was alive, he'd skin me for sure. Bones threw me out of the house."

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Ranger, and Man up! Are you going to those meetings? You've got the most amazing woman a man could hope for. Temperance is giving you tough love, Buddy—"

"I know, but I thought I had it under control—"

"Hey, that's a crock, and you know it. Go back to square one, stick it out, and she'll stand behind you. Ordering you to leave is probably tearing her up inside, but she's like a combat veteran. She does what she must. Now do what you must!"

And, Booth, stop calling me Father! You gonna order a drink? This is a business, not a charity!"

"Here, drink this Yuengling Black and Tan, stop moping, and go apologize to your wife!"


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29 Attentive

Christine Booth sat up straight in the little blue plastic chair and looked expectantly at the lady her mother had told her to pay close attention to. The woman wasn't nearly as pretty as her mom or smell as nice, but she seemed friendly. She had an office filled with toys, blocks, colored building cubes, and other intriguing things. There was a large framed mirror along one wall, and Christine smiled at her reflection. She liked to please her parents, so if this was important to Mom, she would try her best.

Brennan sat on the other side of the glass window, watching her daughter's evaluation with the same body language; intent and focused. She felt that admission to Heritage Hall's prestigious preschool could be significant to Christine's academic future. Stimulating their intelligent daughter with absorbing activities would provide a sound basis for her scholastic development.

Booth, in contrast, had tipped his chair back, one leg crossed over his other knee, and his arm around his wife. He chuckled at his child's preening in what she thought was a mirror, and his wife's hyper-vigilant state. He would support Bones' decision to place their daughter in this ritzy-ditzy school, if that is what Brennan really wanted, but for his part, Booth felt they should just let her be a kid, attend a normal preschool program, and discover the wonders of the world on her own, in their back yard, at the park and the library down the street. And in the Jeffersonian lab of course. It had an excellent Young Scientist Program, and Booth believed that and her mother's encyclopedic influence would be quite sufficient to prepare Christine not only for school, but for life. Rather than aggravate his wife, he resolved to let things take their course and see what developed for their brilliant child.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30 Motivated

Hank and Max burst through the front door, followed a bit more slowly by Granpa Max. "Hey, guys, slow down before you explode out the back door from a failure to slow your velocity," their mother cautioned the pair, capturing each with one arm in a well-practiced motion. "Why are you so excited?"

"Popcorn sale, Mom!" they explained breathlessly in unison. "We can win a canoe and a tent and a telescope if we sell enough popcorn! That way we can go camping by ourselves and watch the stars while we float down the river!"

"May I see your troop sales information, please? Brennan requested with a wry smile at her twin sons. Both boys simultaneously thrust a handful of papers under her nose. She indulgently took both sets of documents to avoid hurt feelings.

"Let's see how much popcorn do you have to sell to win these three items, shall we?" She scanned the brochure quickly. "Kayak-$2000, tent-$2000, telescope-$3,000. How much money is that in total?"

Two little foreheads furrowed, two tongues stuck out of the twins' mouths in mathematical concentration. Max Senior grinned at his daughter. "These two remind me of you, Tempe. You wanted a telescope so badly in third grade, you told your mom and me you were going to sell $1,000 of Sally Foster wrapping paper."

"You remember the brand, Dad?" Brennan said incredulously.

"Honey, I was a teacher for quite a few years, and the schools sold Sally Foster products annually."

"Seven thousand dollars!" the twins announced, interrupting their grandfather's reminiscing.

"That's a sizeable volume of popcorn, boys. Your dad doesn't allow you to canvas his FBI offices, and you already sold to the Jeffersonian staff when you were in kindergarten and first grade. I think you've exhausted their goodwill. Who will you entice to buy so much popcorn?" Brennan asked.

"Mom, the squints have eaten it all by now! They'll need to buy more this year!" The twins chorused.

"You don't call adult friends of your parents 'squints'!" Brennan scolded her sons. "We'll discuss this when your father gets home."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31 Grovel

Booth grabbed his t-shirt off the back of the Adirondack chair where he had flung it earlier, and wiped his face. He had finally finished raking the last of the autumn leaves from the back yard and dumped the last wheel barrow full into Brennan's compost pile. The wheel barrow was a disreputable looking piece of vintage yard equipment, but he refused to part with it, since it had belonged to Pops. Glancing at it could conjure up a thousand memories of chores he and Jared had done under Pops' watchful eye.

Brennan gazed appreciatively out the back window at her husband's well-muscled torso. She stepped out onto the back patio holding a large glass of iced tea in one hand and a cold tea towel in the other. "Here, Booth, use this; it will cool you down much more efficiently than your sweaty t-shirt. And drink this tea."

"Bones, you know how to pamper a guy, thanks. I finished the yard just in time to catch the hockey match."

"Mommy, can Gretsky and I play outside?"

"Yes, honey, you can swing til lunch is ready."

bbbbbbbbbbbbbb

An hour later, Brennan called into the living room, "Booth can you pause your match and come eat lunch, please?

"Christine, come in, please. Let the dog play outside while you eat."

bbbbbbbbbbbbbb

Once their meal was finished, Christine went back outdoors. Booth and Brennan heard a shriek.

"Oh, Gretsky, Daddy's gonna-"

The adults were outside in an instant. There were leaves strewn everywhere. Gretsky, his tail wagging happily, stopped mid-bark, and stared at his little mistress. At the sight of Booth, he wilted. His tail went between his legs, he hunched down, and ducked his head, ears drooping, eyes squinted partially shut as he peered up at his family. In short, he groveled.

Booth scowled at the dog, and then burst out laughing. "I've never seen a dog look so guilty! Too bad Gretsky can't wield a rake! I guess I'll record the hockey match for later."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32 Swear

Parker came downstairs fully dressed except for the neck tie draped around his neck. "Dad, can you help me with this? I just can't get it straight and I want to look good for Judge Lutrell."

"Sure, Bub. I know you'll be on your best behavior. You'll have an unusual chance to observe how our judicial system works this summer. A law office may not end up being where you want to spend your career, but you'll understand how our judicial system operates. Your mom handles one aspect of it, being an attorney, and Bones and I cover another, investigating crime and uncovering evidence. Hank's position as a judge presents another view of the courtroom. He can teach you a lot."

"Dad, I swear I'll make you proud—"

"That's one word you might want to refrain from using casually, Parker," Brennan observed as she scrambled his eggs. "Taking an oath in court has a very specific and serious responsibility and significance."

"I know, I'm sorry. I just meant I will try my best to take advantage of this opportunity. I'm not sure I want to become a lawyer and join Mom's practice someday, but this summer job is a great way to find out. And it sure beats working in fast food!"

"Just remember that decorum and discretion are critical in your role as a judicial page. You can't repeat anything you hear. Conduct yourself with restraint and respect, no outbursts or whooping it up," Booth advised his son.

"Dad, I'm not that dense! I know how to act. I won't embarrass you. I'll keep my mouth shut if I'm not certain of something until I can ask what to do."

"We're proud of you, Bub. You may be the first guitar virtuoso Supreme Court Justice in U.S. history some day!"


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33 Shoot

 _A/N: Still don't own any Bones._

Christine's biting another child at day care had sparked a disagreement between Booth and Brennan. She refused to believe it; he considered it natural childhood behavior. At an impasse, the partners had taken a break.

Booth raised his weapon, took aim, took a few deep breaths, then paused and squeezed his trigger. He looked forward to his practice times at the FBI shooting range when he could clear his mind and relax. To others, this might sound strange, but part of his sniper training was learning patience and how to wait.

A few stations down the row, Brennan was also practicing. Her aim was as precise and sure as Booth's though at normal distances. She had learned to shoot for self-defense, after unsavory dig experiences and foster care. After a half-hour, they paused to compare target sheets and analyze their results.

Both partners worked out regularly and practiced martial arts. Booth had once challenged his wife to a sparring session, and found that Brennan could take him down. She lacked his physical advantage, but her agile mind had analyzed his strategies quickly, caught him momentarily unaware, and pinned him on the mat before he knew what had happened. They were adept at protecting each other in their dangerous work.

The couple resumed their argument and discussed karate lessons for Christine when she was old enough. One of Brennan's first outings with Parker had been to his karate studio during a weekend with his father. Booth had convinced Rebecca long ago that the training would benefit their son after he was bullied at school. Since then, Parker had even stood up for friends at school.

Their little girl's teeth could come in handy for self-defense someday, but not against an unsuspecting toddler playmate. Booth chuckled to himself. His child's feisty instincts for self-preservation were identical to her spirited mother's.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34 Switch

Booth heard a door slam, an engine start, and came upstairs from watching his hockey game to investigate. Brennan, who had been clearing up from dinner was nowhere in sight and her car keys were gone from the kitchen hook.

He strode to the stairway. "Christine, can you come down here, please?"

His daughter appeared in the upstairs hall, a vexed expression on her face and tears in her eyes.

"Where is your mother?"

The teeneager scowled at him. "She left. We had an argument."

"About?"

"My room. I have a huge science test tomorrow. I'll clean it this weekend."

Booth sighed, grabbed his keys, and drove to the lab. It had been a long time since Brennan had fled to Bone Storage for solace.

He found her there, staring at a femur in her hand, tears trailing down her face.

"Bones, what's wrong?"

"Oh, Booth! How could I have been so thoughtless back then?"

"Wha-?"

"I yelled at my mother about that belt." And she burst into tears, obviously not for the first time this evening.

"I don't understand," said Booth, enfolding her into an embrace.

"Christine and I had a fight. She said she needed to study and would clean her room Saturday. I insisted she do it tonight."

"And this relates to your mother how?" Booth prompted gently.

"Don't you see, I've switched places. Now it's my daughter yelling at me. I suddenly remembered the last time I saw my mother, and I hate myself. I can never tell her how sorry I am that we fought over a silly belt," Brennan stammered between sobs into his shoulder.

"Hey, Bones, quiet, hush. Your mom knows it was part of your growing up. She regrets it too. She understood; still loves you."

"Booth, my mother is dead."

"Bones, sweetheart, the bond between parent and child never breaks. Your mom is always with you, maybe not in the way I believe, but she's there. Don't you kind of feel her near sometimes?"

"I guess…."

"I know you could give me a whole squinty lecture about the necessity for some adolescent separation from parental attachments for attainment of maturity," Booth soothed her.

Brennan gave him a crooked teary smile. "You sound like me, Booth."

"Let's get some ice cream, go home, and hug Christine. She probably feels worse than you do.".


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35 Promise

Brennan gazed at her shiny new wedding band, which sparkled even more when wet from her shower. She smiled to herself, realizing the irony of how happy she was now, how content to be married, a wife. How much joy had been wrought by the simple promises they'd made to one another in the Jeffersonian Garden. She, Temperance Brennan, who had sworn to her classmates and acquaintances that love was a myth and sex merely a physical desire and urge as natural as the need to breathe, to eat, to sleep. She had been convinced of this, emotionally and intellectually, until-she encountered one particularly cocky and handsome FBI Special Agent. She grinned at the remembrance of how she'd noticed his friendly manner, warm brown eyes, engagingly deep voice, and straightforward approach to meeting someone new. Not attracted perhaps, but certainly aware of the charm and appeal of his outgoing personality. Through all their arguments, squabbles, bickering, disagreements and angst, he had remained a kind reliable friend, upon whom she could count. He saw past her prickly exterior, somehow sensing that her stand-offish attitudes were a protective defense from something. For nearly ten years, he had been her partner, never pushing her for any more commitment beyond friendship, after his fateful proclamation on the steps of the Hoover. Once she had declared that she didn't have an open soul, couldn't be like him, and begged him to remain her partner, Booth had fulfilled her request, despite the sexual tension and mutual physical attraction which burbled and boiled, sparked and surged, flickered and flamed just below the surface of what they'd admit to themselves, each other, and the world. When, finally, she had proposed to him, and Pelant had wrecked their happiness, Booth steadfastly protected the five random potential victims, never revealing the dastardly cause of his retracted acceptance, despite her, Angela's and others' disdain and disapproval. She thanked the Universe, or Booth's God, or whomever had finally deigned to grant them happiness for the next 30, or 40, or 50 years.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36 Crawl

In the midst of the attack on their home they'd built together, the Mighty Hut, Booth had already sustained injuries to his torso and leg. He crouched behind the kitchen island, gripping his pistol, listening intently for any sound that could reveal the position of one of his enemies. His ears were ringing from the explosion of the framed ball mitt on the stairway, and knew that one black-clad invader was down. He'd wounded the second, but wasn't sure how much damage he'd been able to inflict upon the man. The third intruder was the one worrying him at the moment. Booth was pretty sure the guy was lurking in their family room but couldn't get a fix on his exact position. He popped his head up to take a look, caught a glimpse of movement, and took a well-aimed shot. The man groaned but kept advancing. Must have just grazed him. Booth darted to cover around the dining room wall, and sank to a seated position to regroup. His side hurt badly and was preventing him from breathing deeply. He felt light-headed and dizzy. Booth slowly rose to his feet and peered around the corner. Suddenly the Delta fighter lunged and tackled him around the legs, a lethal knife in his fist. The two men grappling for control of the blade, and Booth felt its point against his chest. As it pierced his skin and cut into muscle, a shot rang out. The pair toppled and his opponent fell away. Booth hit the floor, rolled and moaned. A crouched figure advanced, a familiar voice reached him through the fog of his pain. He tried to crawl toward the sound, but collapsed against the rough fibers of Brennan's antique carpet.

"Booth! How badly are you hurt? Who are these men, trying to destroy our house and kill you?"

"Bones…" He faded away.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37 Hell

 _A/N: This chapter, unlike others, tails onto the previous one._

Temperance Brennan had locked her car, straightened her jacket, squared her shoulders, and strode resolutely toward the grilled gate, usually locked but open today for visitors. Passing through security, she followed the attendant through a rabbit warren of hallways, gates, doors, locks and buzzers to a room of phones cubicles. She took a seat, pasted on a plastic smile, and stared expectantly through the thick pane of dusty finger-printed glass. On the other side, a door opened and Booth stepped through. She studied his hunched shoulders, halting gait, and equally plastic expression. He couldn't conceal from her the beatings and abuse he's suffered since their last visit. His release from the hospital into the general population six weeks earlier had left him vulnerable to attacks by other inmates. She didn't need to ask for details; she read his body effortlessly. She knew every sinewy curve, muscled plane, and rock-hard surface of his physique intimately. They faced one another, silently telegraphing thoughts, concern, worry, and love.

"Booth, you need to eat more; you've lost weight. Your eyes look as though you are sleeping poorly," she stated softly.

"Bones, I can say exactly the same about you," he countered. "Neither of us will enjoy our meals much until we can eat at the diner together again. And sleeping without you is hell. How is Christine? "

"She's fine, except for missing her daddy. She sends her love, and this drawing of her and Gretsky, so you won't forget how they look, she said. I assured her that would never happen. Max is keeping her busy building a telescope with him, and having science sessions like those Parker attended at the Jeffersonian."

This brought a wistful smile to her husband's face. He put his hand up to the grimy glass, and she mirrored his gesture; the closest contact they were allowed.

"We've made some progress in our latest research; it's going slowly, but we will get there," she told him with a pointed look that spoke volumes.

"Time's up, Booth," the guard interjected.

"I'll see you in two weeks. I love you."

"Always, Bones, always."


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38 Grin

Booth swiped his card and bounded up the few stairs to the lab platform where Brennan normally held court over pristine skeletons laid out in exactly prescribed patterns upon gleaming steel tables. Today, however, she was notably absent, occupied elsewhere with matters equally as important as gleaning clues from her silent subjects. Angela and Hodgins greeted him with yawns. They already knew why Booth's face wore the widest grin in history, the same reason why they were sleepily facing their work day at the lab.

Wendell and Clark Edison were bent over the tables, scrutinizing the bones of a new crime victim. They looked up as Booth handed them each a cigar and a large peppermint stick. Jessica Warren, entering data at a nearby terminal, received a peppermint stick and a carnation. The three interns stared at Booth quizzically.

"What gives, man?" asked Clark.

Booth grinned even more broadly. "Bones had her baby last night!"

"Hey, congratulations, man!" Wendell exclaimed, pulling off his glove to shake Booth's hand.

"I thought she had two and a half weeks to go," Jessica remarked.

"Well, the little guy just decided he'd waited long enough. He was ready to join the world, and he wasn't letting anybody hold him up, I guess," Booth told them happily. "Bones felt a few twinges on our way home last evening, the contractions got more intense really fast, and bingo, baby—a baby!"

"I didn't hardly have time to fuss at her for not going to the hospital. Good thing we had extra tarps from that Habitat for Humanity remodeling job last weekend. I grabbed one from the SUV, spread it on the bed, pulled a bunch of sheets and stuff from the linen closet, and barely spread them before Bones was wanting to push. Hank wasn't slowing down for anybody, not even his mother!"

"So you named him after your grandfather?"

"Henry Joseph Maxwell Booth; long name but we didn't want to leave out Bones' dad," Booth explained exuberantly. "Not sure if there'll be any more after this. Parker is gonna be thrilled."


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39 Hug

Booth stirred in his sleep, reacting instinctively to a noise his always-a-Ranger-brain automatically sought to isolate and identify. He listened to the unintelligible chatter emanating from the baby monitor on the night stand. "Hank is awake," he thought sleepily, "let's see if I can intercept him before he wakes up Bones." He snuffled a strand of auburn hair off his face, opened one eye and glanced over at his wife curled snugly against his chest. He carefully slipped out of bed, tiptoed across the hall and peeked in the nursery. His son's little feet waved in mid-air, chubby hands reaching for the mobile above his head. Noticing his father, the baby turned his head and gurgled happily. Booth walked to the crib and picked up Hank. The little boy grabbed his dad's neck in an exuberant hug. Booth buried his nose in the curly messed up hair the same color as his, relishing its baby shampoo scent.

The moment took him back. Christine's auburn hair and Parker's blond locks had smelled the same. Early mornings spent with his children were among his favorite memories. There had been too few with Parker, many more with his daughter, and now those to treasure with Hank. His Pops had lived to see his namesake, for which Booth was grateful. The old man loved holding the baby on his lap during Sunday afternoon visits, while Christine filled him in on all her week's activities in great detail. Lost in thought, Booth startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Hank squealed happily at the sight of his mother.

"Hank, you woke your momma," he chided the baby.

"You can't have all the early morning fun, Booth," Brennan scolded, hugging her boys. "Bring Hank back to our bed and I'll feed him. Then he can use you as a jungle gym for a while."


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40 Burn

Booth had carefully planned this late October weekend at their camp down to the last detail. He secretly invited the Jeffersonian staff for Saturday afternoon. The previous weekend, he, Parker and Dewey had raked up dry leaves into a large pile, and then covered it with a weighted tarp. He ordered firewood and secretly shopped for the proper ingredients for an autumn feast and hid them in the garage. When all was ready, he drove Brennan, Parker, and Christine up from their house as if it was a normal family weekend jaunt.

Once lunch was over on Saturday, he called Christine and Brennan into the family room for an announcement. He and Parker wore identical grins of anticipation. "Bones, Chrissy, we've cooked up a little surprise for you guys this afternoon. Angela and Hodgins are bringing Michael Vincent up for supper."

At three o'clock, the Hodgins family appeared. Michael and Christine dumped a large tub of legos. A few minutes later, another knock heralded an arrival.

"Are you expecting someone else?"

"Gee, Bones, I don't know. Parker, could you please answer the door?" Booth said innocently. Parker smirked at his father and complied. Within the next half hour, all their friends had arrived. "Surprise, Bones! We're having a cookout at sunset, a bonfire, and some mores' marshmallow roast once it's dark. In the meantime, there are burlap sacks out on the front porch for anyone wanting to participate in a sack race. If you kids want, there's a big pile of leaves out back to jump in."

John and Dewey showed up with a bundle of long sticks stripped of bark for roasting. As the sun sank, painting the sky, they gobbled smoky hot dogs, both meaty and vegan.

As darkness fell, the marshmallows darkened as well, perfect for gooey treats. By ten pm, their happy guests trooped back to their cars, Brennan put her arm around Booth's waist, kissed him, and walked back to the house with Christine asleep on his shoulder. "Booth, that was a perfect October surprise! Thank you!"


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41 Kiss

Booth opened one eye, raised his head slightly, and feasted his eyes on his favorite sight in the whole wide world. Well, maybe one of four favorites: Brennan asleep. The other three involved watching his children sleep. He didn't have much chance to do that any longer with Parker, since his son was now residing in England with Rebecca most of the time and a teenager to boot. Fortunately, Christine and Hank still gave him many chances to relish the sight of them slumbering peacefully.

But back to Bones. He loved her tousled morning bed-head auburn curls, her slightly grumpy demeanor and her adorable little moans, murmurs, and complaints when he woke her up. With a kiss. His standard tool for rousing his wife for mutually enjoyable early-morning pre-offspring-awake bedroom activities. He loved watching her little snores ruffle an errant strand of hair laying across her face, and how she curled herself into his chest. If he shifted positions during the night, she unconsciously moved just enough to fit herself back into place against him like a magnetic puzzle piece.

Booth propped himself up on one elbow, and thanked his lucky stars and a benevolent God that he was allowed to spend his life with this amazing woman. Through the years of their just-partners affiliation she had overcome all the teenage foster care trauma she had suffered to open herself to the possibility of love. After years of denying its existence, she had proven herself an expert at giving it to those she learned to trust. In all his hopes and dreams, he'd never envisioned an existence as fulfilling and rich as what they shared.

He leaned over to bury his nose in her hair and kissed his way across Brennan's neck and face. She opened her eyes, smiled, and kissed him back.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42 Mute

Booth's note cards and naked lady pen were his trademarks at a crime scene investigation. He always carried them in his jacket pocket for scribbling down pertinent details about their victim, Brennan's observations, Hodgins' particulates, and evidence found by the FBI technicians. It was a standing joke in the Hoover Building coffee rooms that he wouldn't be able to function if deprived of these two items. The Jeffersonian squints chuckled to one another that, amid the high tech gadgets and equipment at their lab, Booth's notecards seemed antiquated and completely out of place. Only Brennan never acknowledged their quaintness, having witnessed for herself how many times Booth would get a certain look on his face, dive into his pocket or desk, extract the colorful notecards, thumb through them to locate a specific one, and remind her of something he'd noticed and notated there. His brain worked differently than hers, but just as effectively.

This week the notorious note cards were serving another purpose, not only at crime scenes, but everywhere. Booth had laryngitis. He couldn't speak an audible word, and had been ordered by his doctor not to try. When she had insisted he make an appointment and be examined for a possible throat infection, Booth admitted that his throat had been a little scratchy and sore over the past week, but not enough to stay home from work. Just like herself, Brennan knew, Booth wouldn't take time off for a minor malady. She was aware, from past experience, that he was a terrible patient. Restless and irritable, he hated being confined to bed or home by a virus. He'd declare it was a case of mind over matter, and he'd 'gut it out' when she urged him to rest.

Dr. McIntyre had found that his vocal cords were inflamed, but lacking a fever, he wasn't contagious. Straining his voice to make himself heard would cause greater damage, so Booth had been silenced for the next five days.

He was coping with this restriction by using Christine's colorful markers to emphasize his ideas. Cam, Angela, and Daisy had found this adorable and amusing, much to his annoyance. But she'd glared at him and he scowled back, shrugged his shoulders and remained mute.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43 Suffocate

Brennan overheard Booth's conversation with Cam regarding the Jeffersonian/FBI team's most recent crime investigation. It was the first time they'd had any work-related feedback from her since their resignations from the lab two months earlier. She was obviously frustrated by Michael Stires' inability to pinpoint precise forensic clues on the skeletons. He might be a fine professor and an acceptable trial expert witness, but Temperance Brennan he was not. Cam needed evidence to guide the FBI's search for a suspect and she was sorely missing her recently departed key resource. Hodgins was concerned for Angela's peace of mind, and hinting strongly that the couple might very well be Paris-bound shortly. An expert coroner, Cam was caught in a conundrum similar to the Logan Bartlett case, when her staff had been strewn across the globe like random puzzle pieces. Requesting Brennan's help with their current case, she was overnighting the forensic information to the couple's Kansas home.

Brennan approached the sofa where Booth sat talking, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. As he disconnected Cam's call, she spoke softly to her husband. "I am so glad you convinced me to try forever with you. You let me be myself, you gave me the time and space to believe your vision for our future, and your promise to stay with me. You never make me feel constrained."

"Michael Stires always tried to control my studies, my dating, my digs, my thesis. He thought he knew better than I what and how I needed to live my life. He may have been well-meaning, but he suffocated my spirit. Leaving his department was my only option, even though it meant delaying my dissertation and PhD completion."

"You, Booth, are my other half, my completion." And she kissed him soundly.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44 Punch

The cell phone vibrated against Booth's bedside table and he blearily slapped his hand on the surface to locate it. "Booth."

"Dad, it's me. I need a ride home. Stuart spiked the punch and we're all too tipsy to drive," Christine informed him miserably. "I'm so sorry to wake you up, but I don' wanna take a chance…, she slurred slightly.

"I'll be right over, you stay put, honey," said Booth, already out of bed and wriggling into yesterday's crumpled jeans he'd slung over a chair.

"Booth, what's wrong?" Brennan asked sleepily.

"One of the kids spiked the punch, Bones. Thank God Chrissy has the sense to call us. We don't need her wrapped around a tree between here and the Norris' house. I'll be home shortly. Go back to sleep. No reason for both of us to be groggy in the morning."

bbbbbbbbbbb

Ten minutes later, Christine crawled into the front seat and dropped her head on the headrest. "I'm so queasy, I don't know what he put into that punch, but I hope I never find out or drink it again. It hit me like a ton of bricks, so fast. I only had two cups, Dad, I swear."

"It was probably grain alcohol, very strong vodka, twice as concentrated, Christine. It may not be wise to drink any more punch at these parties if your classmates are going to pull these stunts. Where were Allie's parents? I thought they told your mom they'd be home all evening. We wouldn't have let you go to the party otherwise."

"Her mom had a headache, and her dad went outside to get some wood for their fireplace. He was only gone a few minutes.

"That's all it takes-"

"Dad, I'm gonna be sick!"

Booth pulled to the curb, and lowered the windows. "Open your door and lean out, honey. The cold air will help."


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45 Exile

"Good morning, Zach," Temperance Brennan greeted her favorite intern. "It's good to have you back at the Jeffersonian. I'm sorry the Army didn't appreciate your forensic skills sufficiently to keep you in Iraq, but I can't say I regret their decision. I've not been able to find an intern with whom I work as synergistically, and I'm glad to have your expertise available again for our crime investigations."

"Thank you, Dr. Brennan, I'm glad to be back. While it was disconcerting to be told I didn't fit the Army's profile for a successful service member, I am happy to find that my position is still open. I was worried you might have found someone to replace me, and I wouldn't be able to complete my doctorate here."

"Zach, I might have been able to fill the opening, but I could never replace you. I have found that you are the most skilled, insightful graduate student I've ever worked with. However, Dr. Goodman tells me we must expedite the completion of your dissertation; he says it's high time you were on your own, and you can't stay here much longer. He stated that the Jeffersonian board of trustees believes we need to assist more interns with our programs."

"I would like to remain on staff here when I complete my doctorate, Dr. Brennan. The staff here tolerates my idiosyncrasies and you have taught me more than any other supervising professor could have. Believe me, I felt like I was in exile or on another planet during my time in Iraq. The Army takes a very different view of forensic examinations. They want things done as quickly as possible. Properly, mind you, but fast. They value expediency over complete thoroughness."

"Your remaining here is up to Cam, Zach, but I would welcome that."


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46 Plead

Mom, can I please go to the ninth grade dance? It's gonna be chaperoned by every teacher on the planet! Most of the parents in the PTA this year are from our class, and many of them will be there. The principal and his wife are even coming! I know someone spiked the punch at Parker's dance last spring, but I PROMISE nothing like that will happen here! Please, Dad?"

"Christine, you know it's physically impossible for your school's gymnasium to accommodate all the teachers who inhabit our earth, even if they could travel here. Why do you make wildly inaccurate claims like that?" Brennan began.

"Because, Mom, that's how Dad convinces you of things. I thought it was a good strategy to try, because I REALLY don't want to be the only girl in my class who misses this dance-"

"Hey, how did you know about Parker's dance?" Booth sputtered indignantly. "He wasn't supposed to discuss that fiasco!" 

"Dad, we are siblings, we do talk," Christine smiled at her father fondly. "Parker's given me lots of pointers, really helped me fit in at school, and not be nervous. He doesn't give bad advice, Daddy, he actually warned me about a lot of the same things you and Mom have cautioned me about. Now can I please go to the dance? You guys can even be chaperones too, if that's what you want!"

"We'd need to buy you a new dress and shoes," Brennan mused.

"No, Mom, I can wear something I already have. I just really want to go; plllleeeease?"

Bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

Later that evening:

"Booth, I think Christine has shown herself to be level-headed. I believe we could allow her to attend this school function."

"I thought we agreed she couldn't go to dances or date til she was 16."

"Booth, we had that conversation two years ago. She's more mature than most; let's allow her to try."

"Okay, but it's your head if something goes south!"

"Booth, if you harm my cranium, how will I help you raise Christine?"


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47 Strong

Brennan was missing. She'd gone on a three-week dig to Suriname with Dr. Goodman, and the two of them had been accosted at the excavation site by unknown individuals and taken into the jungle. Booth's duties as FBI Deputy Director had prevented him from accompanying his wife as her personal security force. The couple had also decided not to leave the country simultaneously as a precaution for Hank's and Christine's welfare.

The scientists had been missing for four days when Booth convinced the State Department to request a search party be sent by the Surinamese government. There was no sign of blood at the dig location, so Booth was praying that his Bones was unharmed. Learning he was authorized to accompany the search party, he entrusted their children to Angela and Hodgins and flew to Paramaribo. The expedition travelled to the Marowijne River region to examine the excavation area. Booth was impressed with the Surinamese's tracking skills; the searchers could read trails as well as any of his Ranger buddies. The group followed clues into the pristine rainforest, and Angela contacted Booth by satellite phone to let him know she'd finally been able to ping Brennan's phone and pinpoint their location. After a day and a half of travel through the hot humid jungle, Booth and his companions came to a small native encampment.

Approaching quietly, the group observed its inhabitants. The sound of Brennan's beloved voice reached Booth's ears and comforted the FBI agent. Upon listening, however, he was puzzled by the unfamiliar syllables of her strange lilting words. Slowly, he grinned to himself. Of course, Brennan would know the obscure dialect of these people she was studying. His squinty scientist wife was holding a lively conversation with an ancient stooped man, bedecked with feathers and face paint.

The search party advanced slowly into the clearing, with a native guide announcing their arrival and peaceful intent. Brennan and Dr. Goodman looked up in surprise. "We thought it would take you longer to find us," the dark-skinned Jeffersonian administrator remarked. "Thank God for Temperance's language skills!" He was dressed in a colorful wrap skirt of striped cotton. Brennan was similarly attired, her Pangi wrap around her torso, tucked under her arms. She rose to embrace her husband. "Booth, at first the Akurio natives were suspicious of our activities in their region. Once I heard their Tiriyo dialect, I was able to convey that we meant them no harm. Chief Triometesem brought us back to this village to show us their ancestral burial grounds. I couldn't obtain a satellite phone signal **strong** enough to mark our location."

bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

On their flight home, Brennan leaned against Booth's shoulder. "I knew you'd keep searching to find us. The natives treated us well, but wouldn't allow us to leave. I just had to be strong until you rescued me."


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48 Defenseless

Christine was with her pre-teen friends for a birthday sleepover, and Hank was spending the night with Max so they could go fishing early Saturday morning. Booth and Brennan went out for dinner at a new Thai restaurant, and returned home to unusual quiet.

"Bones, you want to watch the latest episode of ' _The World Without People'_? "

"Booth, you know the premises upon which that program is based are sheer conjecture. No one knows precisely what environmental or climate changes will occur within the time parameters examined by that show, or what events could influence global conditions in 500 years. It is based upon 'junk science' and I refuse to patronize it by watching their episodes."

"Well, then, what do you want to do this evening?"

"I actually have several activities in mind. First, I'd like us to take a hot bath together and soak while the new hydro-therapy jets stir up the water. Then I thought we could dim the lights in our bedroom and I could give you a back massage to relieve the stress you suffered this morning from hoisting that suspect out of the canal when he attempted to evade capture by submerging himself with a drinking straw for breathing. Then I would like to enumerate your vertebrae and braille your bones, as you call it. I find that mentally envisioning your impressive musculature while palpating the bones under your supple skin is very arousing for me," Brennan purred.

"Ohhh, Temperance I'm defenseless when you use your sexy sultry sciency squinty talk on me," Booth whispered. "I love taking long, bubbly baths with you. And your massages transport me to paradise. That sounds heavenly. Palpate away."

"Booth, who said anything about bubble bath? That obscures my view and enjoyment of your physique!"


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49 Discover

Booth awoke to the gurgling sounds emanating from the baby monitor on his night stand. Smiling sleepily, he gently and ever so carefully slid out of Brennan's embrace so she wouldn't awaken, and stood slowly so the mattress shifted minimally. He pulled on boxers and a faded t-shirt and tiptoed out of their bedroom, pulling the door to behind himself. He slipped down the hall and peeked into the nursery. Christine was lying on her back, chattering unintelligibly to herself as she watched the mobile Parker had made for her swaying under the ceiling fan's slow rotations. She reached for it, beyond her grasp. Raising her legs, she kicked them enthusiastically, and then reached for her toes. She stopped short for just an instant, then grasped one chubby foot in an equally chubby little hand, and chortled in glee. At this, Booth stepped into the soft yellow room and smiled at her gazing down at his wide-awake little daughter.

"You discovered your feet, didn't you, little princess?" he asked her softly. "Pretty amazing, aren't they? Before long, you'll be sucking on your toes, and that might gross out your mother," he chuckled. "It certainly did Rebecca when Parker did that. His toes were his favorite playthings for a while," he remembered fondly. "No, Bones will probably think the germs will increase your disease resistance."

"Then, tiny girl, before too many more months slip by, those little feet of yours will be carrying you on all sorts of adventures, getting you into all sorts of mischief, and bringing you to all sorts of new discoveries."

His daughter reached her arms toward him, and he picked her up out of the crib with a warm hug. Her little hands grabbed his prickly cheeks in response. "Let's go warm you a bottle of Mommy's milk, and let her sleep in for a bit, okay?"


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50 Action

Booth pulled into the driveway of the Hodgins estate and parked in the shade of a large tree. Hearing childish shouts, he followed the sounds across the wide, well-manicured lawn around the side of the huge brick house. He was nearly knocked flat by Michael Vincent running pell-mell down the grassy slope. Close in pursuit was his daughter, her auburn pony tail flying behind her. "I've got you, evil dragon!" she shouted

"Oooff!" Booth groaned, when Michael Vincent ran straight into him. The boy exhaled sharply, feeling as though he had hit a brick wall in the agent's broad muscular torso. "Sorry, Uncle Booth!"

Booth reached out to halt his daughter but she flew right past him. "Dad, you're way early!" she exclaimed breathlessly, coming to a halt six feet past him. "Mom said you'd pick me up at 6."

"I got off early, honey, and thought we could spend some time-." Booth began, but stopped speaking mid-sentence at the sight of Hodgins coming toward him with an expensive video camera on his shoulder. "Gee, Booth, you've interrupted our movie's action," he chuckled. "We were filming _'The Fearless Princess Overpowers the Frightful Dragon'_ ," he explained.

Booth looked more closely at the two children. Michael Vincent wore a colorful t-shirt and pants covered with shiny scales. Christine was swathed in a flowing cape of shimmery violet satin. "Wow, the costumes Angela makes for the kids' pretend play are amazing!"

"Yup, my Angie's an artist with exquisite visions and originality!" Hodgins agreed. "I think she could have made a fortune out in Hollywood as a costume designer."

"You think?" Booth exclaimed. "These are so elaborate, and expensive, especially for play clothes!"

"Well, nothing is too good for her favorite cast members!" Hodgins assured him.

"You've got to stay long enough to come see our movie, Dad!" Christine declared.

"Yeah, lights, camera, action!" yelled Michael.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51 Action

A.N: Okay, people, you get a bonus chapter because I glanced at the list and forgot I'd already done this prompt. I refuse to waste a (hopefully) perfectly good drabble.

To say that Temperance Brennan was excited was an understatement. She came tearing in the front door two hours earlier than she'd told Booth to expect her home. She tossed her jacket, umbrella, and messenger bag on the sofa, raced upstairs to the hall closet, pulled out a duffle bag, ran down the hall into their bedroom, unzipping the bag as she went, and flung it onto the bed. Pulling open her dresser drawers, Brennan grabbed handfuls of underthings, lingerie and camisoles which she threw into the bag. Diving into her side of the closet, she pulled slacks, jeans, t-shirts and blouses off their hangers, piled them on the bed, folded them in record time and deposited them into the bag. She practically flew into their ensuite bathroom and emerged with a toiletries bag filled with hygiene essentials, plunked it atop her hastily packed clothing, and zipped the duffle shut. Only then did she look up and grin at her husband and child. Booth and Christine were standing in the bedroom doorway, staring at her, speechless. Finally, Booth found his voice.

"Bones, where's the fire? What's your hurry? What gives?"

"Booth, I've been invited by William Kelso to analyze the four sets of human remains found at Jamestown!" Brennan announced breathlessly. "Michael Stires backed out at the last minute to lecture in Greece, so Dr. Kelso asked me to help. I had applied last summer, but he knew our crime investigations require my presence here in D.C. and placed me on the reserve list. Dr. Goodman and Cam assured Cullen I can still consult by tele-conference while I'm gone. And they can courier evidence to me if necessary; it's only three hours away. They're holding a private plane for me. This is monumental! The artifacts unearthed in these graves indicate their occupants were leaders of the colony. I'm so excited, I just had to take quick action before the opportunity slipped away! I hope you don't mind. I'll only be gone two weeks, and you can come down on the weekends and see these discoveries!"

"Wow, Mom!" Christine exclaimed.

"What she said! Have fun, don't worry about us, and call often." Booth declared, hugging his wife with a hearty kiss."


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52 Sport

Parker swung the bat as hard as he could, made contact with the ball, and knocked it to the far corner of the park, far beyond the chalked line which defined the boundaries of the baseball diamond. He charged around the bases, and slid into home just as the outfielder's thrown ball hit the pitcher's glove. The catcher stomped in frustration as the Booth family erupted in cheers. Parker's solid batting performance had given his team 3 runs. The opposing team was quite disgruntled.

"Daddy, I wanna play ball like Parker!" Christine exclaimed. "I wanna sock that ball so hard it'll fly clear to the moon!"

Booth grinned at Brennan over the top of their daughter's head. She had clearly inherited not only her father's love of sports, but also her mother's fiercely competitive nature. "Okay, honey, we'll check into girls' T-ball when we get home."

"No, Daddy, I wanna play on Parker's team. They win all the time!"

"Christine, in order to make the competition fair, players must be relatively equal in age, physical strength, development, and athletic prowess. For that reason, children are normally grouped on teams by age, and gender, ability," Brennan explained to the impatient little girl who wanted to do everything that Parker did, when Parker did it, preferably _with_ Parker.

"No, Mommy!" Christine pouted.

"Chrissy," Booth interjected, "Part of playing sports is learning to cooperate with your team mates, following the rules of the game, and exhibiting good sportsmanship."

"But I'm a girl! Is there sportsgirlship?"

"Christine, stop being obtuse!" Brennan chided her wryly, recalling times past when she'd had similarly vexing conversations with Booth, during the 'I don't know what that means' phase of their friendship.

"Let's watch Parker's game now and settle your baseball career later over ice cream. You two just missed his throwing out the player on first base," Booth told his girls.

"Awww, rats!" exclaimed Christine. "Did you film it on your phone, Daddy?"


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53 Memorable

 _A/N 1: I have to take a moment to thank the readers who don't have profiles by which I could thank them for their reviews via PM. Especially JSBonesLover and Guest, an anonymous kindly fanfiction follower, who've both left me numerous thoughtful encouraging reviews, and I can't respond individually. So this note of appreciation will have to suffice. There are several Guest readers whose considerate reviews mean a lot and give me ideas to improve, so, all y'all please consider yourselves greatly thanked for your responses to my writing efforts._

 _A/N 2: For the purposes of this chapter, I've borrowed some relatives of Brennan's from KEScrubbed's story_ _The Family in the Tree_ _. If you haven't read it, do so; you're in for a treat, I promise!_

Mother's Day this year would be memorable for Bones, even epic, Booth chuckled to himself, picturing Brennan's reactions in his head. He had made airline reservations, secretly packed weekend clothing for her, Christine, and himself, alerted Cam, Dr. Goodman, and Cullen that the partners would be taking vacation days Friday and Monday, and recruited Hodgins to drive them to the airport. On Thursday afternoon, he popped into the Jeffersonian, pulled Brennan's lab coat off, grabbed her messenger bag, and waltzed her out the doors with the declaration that he had a surprise for her. Christine was already waiting in Jack's car. Hodgins headed for Reagan National Airport as Brennan sputtered with surprise, "Booth, where are we going?"

"You'll see," he promised her. Arriving at the airport, he steered her to the proper concourse and gate.

"Jacksonville? Do we have a case of which I'm not aware?" Brennan's eyebrows rose higher than ever.

"Nope, this trip is strictly for pleasure, I hope, anyway," Booth answered, mentally crossing his fingers.

"Then, pray tell, why are we going to Florida?"

"To spend Mother's Day with the next best things, or people, if you will, Bones. We've spending the weekend with your aunts! We keep saying we're going back for a visit. Well, this is it! We'll be back at work on Tuesday."

"Booth!"

"Lydia, Esther, and Judy gave me the idea. They said since you couldn't spend Mother's Day with your momma, they'd fill in for their sister. I thought it was a sweet gesture, and didn't have the heart to turn them down, Bones. Besides that, they want to see Christine. Said they weren't sure how much longer Mema had left on this earth, and she oughta get to see her great-grand-daughter again, now that she can talk for herself."

Brennan rolled her eyes at him, but smiled widely. "Yes, if she can get a word in edgewise."

A few hours later, she was standing in the kitchen of her aunt's small house, squashed in embraces from multiple relatives, who were all chattering at once. Brennan watched Christine talking quietly to her Mema in the corner of the living room. Disentangling herself from the group hug, she pulled Booth out onto the small front porch.

"Thank you!" she whispered into his chest as he hugged her. "I'm glad we came."


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54 Die

Parker pressed the elevator button, waited for the car to arrive, and stepped in when the stainless steel doors slid open. He slumped against the back wall and scrubbed his eyes with his fists, remembering.

Entering the room he'd been directed to, he saw Brennan sitting beside the bed, holding his hand. Parker put his arm around her shoulders and asked, "When did this happen? What does Zach say?"

"He passed out while mowing the lawn yesterday afternoon. The doctors think the tumor in his head may have returned. He's had clean scans for years, but there's always that chance," his stepmother stated softly.

"I've never seen him this still," Parker said. "Even when Dad's asleep, he's always moving around."

Brennan smiled wanly. "Yes, his restlessness has awakened me on more than one occasion."

"You wanna go get some rest? I can stay with him."

"No, Parker, I need to be if he wakes up."

"If? It's that serious?"

"Yes, it could be. His doctors ran run all sorts of tests; will have results tonight. Zach says tumors like his can recur."

"Do I need to pick Christine up?"

"She and Andrew are driving up."

"Josie's flying in tomorrow with the kids. She thought I should be here with you, though."

"She's very considerate, Parker," Brennan squeezed his hand. "It means a lot to both of us that you came so quickly."

"I feel like Dad did when Pops got sick. Powerless. I want to DO something!"

"We all face our end at some p-" Brennan choked, couldn't continue. "We've always argued about who would go first," she said shakily.

"Parker!" His dark haired younger brother walked in.

"Zach! You look like hell, bro."

"I sat up with him last night; only way Mom would relent and get some sleep. Had to work today."

"When will we know?"

"It doesn't look good. He's not in pain, but may not regain consciousness."

"What're we gonna do without him, Parker?"

 _A/N: I borrowed Razztaztic's characters for this. Couldn't conjure up a family for something so sad_. _I hate this prompt!_


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55 Missing

 _A/N: For the purposes of this story, Booth and Brennan have twin sons: Hank and Max, age 4. If one little boy is entertaining, two little squirts are even more so. My youngest turns 21 tomorrow, so lots of reminiscing is going on in this Momma's head right now._

Brennan was upstairs, putting clean sheets on their bed, when she heard the back storm door slam.

"Moooom!"

"Momma!"

"What have I told you two about letting the doors bang around here? Your dad is going to take the cost of a replacement one out of your allowances before long, at the rate you're going, the one we have is going to fall apart!"

Brennan sighed, releasing the elastic corner she was about to pull over the mattress, and listened for the usual thunder of little feet assaulting the stairs. Instead, silence.

She walked down the hall and looked over the railing to find two breathless little boys slumped on the bottom step.

They stared up at her, wide-eyed and anxious. "We've looked everywhere; all over the yard; they're gone!"

"Who?"

"Jumpy and Snort!"

"Your frogs are out of their enclosure?"

"Yeah, Mom, we were having a race on the sidewalk, and they jumped into the bushes!"

"Boys, the sidewalk is hot; your frogs prefer the cool dirt and leaves under the shrubbery. Let's go take another look, I will help you search for them."

She took each of their hands, and walked out onto the wide back porch.

It wasn't long before Brennan spotted two small greenish brown blobs floating in the pool. She went into the garage and retrieved a net from Booth's tackle box.

"Your frogs found the cool water in the pool. Since it's chlorinated, we need to get them out of there."

She extended the net twice, capturing the two frogs and released them into their cage. The little amphibians climbed back into their water dish.

"Fill the bucket with the hose so I can add some water to their basin," Brennan instructed her sons. "And next time you decide to have them race, do so in an enclosed space."

"Thanks, Mom!" the twins chimed, hugging her around the knees.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56 Luck

Booth left the jewelry store and sighed in frustration. He was looking for an engagement ring for Brennan. It had been two months since her hesitant announcement that he was to be a father again had made him deliriously happy. He was secretly hopeful that someday he might ask Bones to marry him and be lucky enough that she'd accept. He had no intention of rushing his proposal, but he wanted to be prepared. He growled to himself, not for the first time, that he'd been an idiot to fling that incredibly expensive ring into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after Hannah turned him down. He should've sold the darn thing. Donated some of the proceeds to charity and banked the rest for Parker's college fund.

He knew Bones wouldn't want a showy ring, but couldn't find what he envisioned for her. He'd searched through every shop he could think of. He returned to work and stared at the files on his desk to finish his overdue reports. His desk phone rang, unusual since most people used his cell number. He picked up the receiver. "Booth."

"Agent Booth? This is Gary Stapleton with the National Park Service."

"How can I help you?"

"I think I can help you, sir. I'm in charge of the Reflecting Pool Renovation Project. We're changing the water source from DC drinking water to the Tidal Basin. A while back, I was out one evening taking photos for our proposal, and overheard your exchange with a young lady in a white coat. I wasn't eavesdropping, believe me, but I couldn't help realizing she'd declined your proposal. I saw you throw something into the pool. I recognized you from the newspaper.

Well, sir, we've been sorting through debris collected from the filters when we drained the pool. Many valuable items were recovered, and we're trying to contact owners when possible. We found a very distinctive and pricey diamond ring. Would you mind stopping by my office? If you can describe it, I think it may be the one you tossed in the pool and I'll be happy to return it to you."

"Mr. Booth, are you there?"

"Uh, yeah, I'll come by. Thanks for calling."

…..

Later that afternoon, Booth stared at the ring in his hand in amazement. "Wow, who'd have thought? I guess everyone has good luck once in a while."

 _A/N: Yes, I know this is HIGHLY unlikely. But they call it Fan Fiction for a reason, so a writer can be whimsical occasionally, right?_


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57 Rescue

It was the first Saturday Temperance Brennan had spent at the lab in Bone Storage in quite some time. No open cases required her attention; she was studying a skeleton thought to be a World War II veteran. He had been found with part of a mess kit and other fragments on a remote Pacific island by some natives. She hoped to identify and return him to his family. This particular analysis was rather significant, as she was sharing it with fifteen-year-old Christine. For years, she and Booth had kept their children out of Limbo, as he called it, believing its occupants to be too stark for kids. But Christine was fascinated with science and had begged and implored her mother to be allowed to observe this aspect of her work.

Her daughter, clad in a white interns' lab coat and gloves, stood beside her at the brightly back-lit table. Brennan handled the bones gently, examining them and explaining as she did so. She made notes as she went, occasionally handing a bone to Christine, pointing out some detail she had discovered. After two hours, she stretched upward to relax her back, and smiled at her daughter.

"I believe this man was a Navajo, and a Code Talker. His skeletal characteristics match his tribe, and the fragments appear to be remnants of a military radio. He was probably stationed on the island to observe and report Japanese troop movements through the straits adjacent to Aranuku Island where he was found. Sadly, I can't identify him closely enough to pinpoint his name, but we can return his remains to his tribe for proper burial as a warrior. They will pay reverent tribute to his bravery and service to our country."

"Wow, Mom, you rescue the people down here from obscurity." Christine said quietly. "This work is almost as cool as when you and Dad solve crimes. How can you know all that from just looking at this man's bones?"

"Your mother studied for years, honey," Booth declared as he walked into the examination room. "Plus she is the smartest woman I know. Come on, you two, I'm taking my two favorite scientists to lunch!"


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58 Abort

Sergeant Major Seeley Booth sat in the back of the helicopter with the rest of his chalk, waiting for the radio signal from the ground observer which would signal his mission to begin. He was a brave man, but he didn't envy the four-man surveillance team which had slipped into place days ago to track the mullah they were tasked to capture. The risk to those guys was enormous. They had to speak the local language flawlessly, dress and act like the villagers in every respect, and follow every prescribed custom and the tenets of Islam perfectly to avoid discovery. His team would be inserted to arrest the troublesome tribal leader once he had been located. That was a risky enough mission; the job of finding him and assessing his movements and habits was even more dangerous.

The team leader of the advance group was a good friend of his; and Booth had already volunteered for the extraction mission which would bring these guys home once the arrest was made. The four would have to make it to a specific location where the helo could pick them up, or communicate an alternate site if the first proved impossible to reach. His buddy had a family at home; a wife with two little boys and a daughter on the way. So much to live for, and such a risky job. But that was what Special Forces operatives did when their country called upon them.

Booth's team had been geared up and poised for take-off for forty-five minutes when the GO signal came through. He tensed as the helicopter rose into the dark sky. Its technology made it surprisingly quiet. They flew on for half an hour and had nearly reached the mountaintop village when his radio crackled to life again. "Gray Hawk, abort, abort!"

Booth's gut clenched as the helicopter made a sharp turn back toward their base. He closed his eyes and said a prayer for the safety of the soldiers on the ground. Not knowing why they had cancelled the insertion, he could only hope for and worry about their welfare.


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59 Possessed

Booth had fallen asleep in his recliner watching a Flyers hockey game. It had been a long week dealing with a tough case. Christine and her three best friends, sleeping over, were watching television upstairs and Brennan was working on her latest book.

Suddenly a series of high pitched feminine shrieks pierced the quiet evening. Startled out of his nap, Booth stumbled up the stairs from his man cave to investigate their source. Brennan came out of her office on the same mission. Entering the family room, they found four wide-eyed girls clutching at one another for comfort. A blurry black and white image flickering on the widescreen in front of them had prompted their screams.

"Mr. Booth, OMG, that was SOO scary!" moaned Kate and Maggie in unison.

"That frightened me to death, Dr. Brennan!" gasped Laura.

"Dad, what is 'possessed'?" Christine asked anxiously.

"Girls, what are you watching?" asked her parents.

" _The Blair Witch Project_! We tried _The Exorcist_ but it was even worse!"

"Uh, 'possessed' means a person is controlled by an evil spirit, honey," Booth began.

"You mean the devil?" Kate interrupted.

"That is the opinion of some people, girls. It can occur as a result of mental illness or delusion, the person's belief in a voodoo curse, or in some religious circles of thought, from the influence of a demonic presence," Brennan stated calmly.

"Is that real?" asked Laura.

"The important component is what a person believes. The power of the mind is an amazing thing. Voodoo cults have ceremonies by which a curse is placed upon one's enemy. If someone is convinced that such a curse is real, it can have powerful effects upon his mind and body," Brennan explained.

"Let's find something else for you girls to watch," interjected Booth. "How about a movie run to the Red Box in Fairview Heights Center?"


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60 Graveyard

Christine was studying in her mother's office while Brennan completed her analysis of their most recent victim. Deciding to take a break, she scanned the artifacts from her mom's many digs, displayed on shelves lining the walls. She noticed an odd bundle of feathers and bones, wrapped in very old leather. Not sure what it was, or how old it might be, she didn't touch it but resolved to satisfy her curiosity.

An hour later, Brennan stripped off her gloves, walked toward her office, and exchanged her lab coat for her jacket. "I'm finished, Christine, let's head home."

"Mom, what's that feather bundle on the fourth shelf?" her daughter asked.

Brennan glanced at the item and smiled. That's a voodoo spirit bundle. The Creoles in Louisiana place them in their graveyards, on the tombs of their loved ones to insure their safe passage to the afterlife. Their voodoo is similar to what's practiced in Haiti. I got that on a vacation to New Orleans while identifying victims of Hurricane Katrina. It was given to me by lab technician who was also a voodoo practitioner. I proved the innocence of a murdered fellow priest friend of his, but your father had to rescue me as well. I was accused of murder myself. Miss Julian and Booth both came to my aid."

Christine's mouth was agape at hearing this revelation. She had so many questions, she was speechless—for a moment.

"You identified flood victims as a vacation? Dad rescued you? You were accused of murder?"

"All of this happened long before your birth, before we were together se-, romantically," Brennan told her daughter. In her head, she could hear Booth vigorously protesting her use of the word 'sexually' to describe their relationship to Christine. "It's a long story."

"Mom, I've got all the time in the world to hear this one!"


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 42 Mute

Booth's note cards and naked lady pen were his trademarks at a crime scene investigation. He always carried them in his jacket pocket for scribbling down pertinent details about their victim, Brennan's observations, Hodgins' particulates, and evidence found by the FBI technicians. It was a standing joke in the Hoover Building coffee rooms that he wouldn't be able to function if deprived of these two items. The Jeffersonian squints chuckled to one another that, amid the high tech gadgets and equipment at their lab, Booth's notecards seemed antiquated and completely out of place. Only Brennan never acknowledged their quaintness, having witnessed for herself how many times Booth would get a certain look on his face, dive into his pocket or desk, extract the colorful notecards, thumb through them to locate a specific one, and remind her of something he'd noticed and notated there. His brain worked differently than hers, but just as effectively.

This week the notorious note cards were serving another purpose, not only at crime scenes, but everywhere. Booth had laryngitis. He couldn't speak an audible word, and had been ordered by his doctor not to try. When she had insisted he make an appointment and be examined for a possible throat infection, Booth admitted that his throat had been a little scratchy and sore over the past week, but not enough to stay home from work. Just like herself, Brennan knew, Booth wouldn't take time off for a minor malady. She was aware, from past experience, that he was a terrible patient. Restless and irritable, he hated being confined to bed or home by a virus. He'd declare it was a case of mind over matter, and he'd 'gut it out' when she urged him to rest.

Dr. McIntyre had found that his vocal cords were inflamed, but lacking a fever, he wasn't contagious. Straining his voice to make himself heard would cause greater damage, so Booth had been silenced for the next five days.

He was coping with this restriction by using Christine's colorful markers to emphasize his ideas. Cam, Angela, and Daisy had found this adorable and amusing, much to his annoyance. But she'd glared at him and he scowled back, shrugged his shoulders and remained mute.


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62 Walk

Booth and Brennan strolled across the back lawn of the camp property they'd acquired courtesy of Jacob Broadsky's scheming. Booth had spent weekends clearing brush from along the fenced perimeter and ordered several loads of gravel to improve its back roads. Stakes connected by lengths of yellow string defined the boundaries of a swimming pool they planned to excavate once rocks and boulders were removed from the vicinity.

Walking arm in arm, they discussed their hopes for the future. Brennan had proposed sponsoring an annual week-long camp for the children of injured or fallen FBI agents. She hoped to include conducting a young authors' clinic as part of the activities offered. If it was successful, they were considering expanding it for children of fallen or maimed veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, a cause dear to Booth's heart. Such a venture would go a long way to improving his 'cosmic balance sheet' of good deeds and crimes solved to counter the sniper killings he'd been ordered to carry out in the Army.

Their property wasn't far from the West Virginia bridge Brennan had donated to revitalize the little town baby Andy Taylor called home. His adoptive parents kept her informed of the town's progress toward fiscal recovery, and reported that its economy was expanding nicely. Andy was maturing admirably under their watchful and loving care. With her typical lack of fanfare, Brennan had already funded his college education through a masters' degree; the couple considered him a sort of nephew for whom they would always help provide.

Leaning her head on Booth's shoulder as they walked, Brennan noticed him stepping gingerly over pebbles and bumps on their path. "Your feet are hurting, aren't they, Booth? Let's head back to the house."

"I'm okay, Bones, they're no worse than usual."

"We can take another walk tomorrow evening; let's go inside and I'll massage your tendons, ligaments, and solves. A soak in hot water will also sooth them. I sometimes wonder how you tolerate being on your feet as much as your job demands," she said softly.

"Bones, I count myself lucky to have survived that Iraqi prison. I'm blessed to be alive when so many men aren't; to have the life I do with you and Christine. I can't complain about achy feet, when other soldiers lost theirs."

 _A/N: This chapter didn't start out in this direction, but being a military wife for many years has made me grateful to, and admiring of the valiant service members who defend our freedoms and keep us safe. safeorousto write_


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63 Plunge

The Booth family was spending Christmas in Vermont, at the same ski resort Rebecca had taken Parker to all those years ago when the little boy purposely got lost and walked up to a kind DC police officer, announcing that his daddy worked for the FBI. A sure fire way for a kid to get a ride to his father's office. The car-battery-lit Christmas tree outside a prison trailer from that same year was one of their best memories and a part of family lore.

After settling into their cozy rooms and bundling everyone into appropriately warm bulky clothing reminiscent of Ralphie's little brother from _A Christmas Story_ , Booth and Brennan, Christine, Parker, Max and Hank headed for the ski slopes and trundled themselves onto the chair lift. With some assistance to insure their safety (which they considered completely unnecessary) the six-year-old twins clambered into the first seat, followed by their sister, Parker and parents. The little boys cheered as the lift moved forward and their feet left the ground. Craning their necks to see all around the mountain, they wiggled anxiously, eager to reach its summit. Cautionary parental admonitions were lost to the wind and their excitement.

The moment their skis hit the snow, the boys were up and out of the chair. They slid forward from the slight momentum it gave them, and without pause, plunged down the nearest slope they saw. Having taken bunny lessons earlier in the season, they carried no poles. They just bent forward slightly and off they flew.

Christine and Parker groaned in union, "Mom and Dad are gonna be so P.O.'ed! The boys are gonna catch heck for sure!"

Parker turned to his sister, "I guess that means you and I are on chase and retrieval duty, huh?" Both older siblings followed the twins' path down the black diamond ski run as soon as their chair came to a halt.

Behind them, Booth and Brennan looked at each other. "Booth, your sons are in so much-!"

"My sons? So says the woman who's spent years digging up bodies in war zones?" Booth retorted.

"We better settle this disagreement at the bottom, after we restrict the boys to the bunny slope for the rest of the afternoon!"


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64 Jump

Parker Booth sat in on a metal bench in the belly of an airplane, packed against his fellow squad members like a sardine. He had a pack on his back, a parachute behind that, and equipment poking him in the ribs from velcro'ed pockets and pouches all over his uniform and survival vest. His helmet was hot, and he felt slightly breathless from fear, panic and anxiety.

"I know Dad would tell me to stay calm, and Bones would tell me to take deep calming breaths, but I've tried both, and neither is working. I'm NOT calm, and if I take one more deep breath, I'm gonna hyper-ventilate and pass out and totally embarrass myself and the entire Booth family clear back to John Wilkes!" he thought to himself.

This was his first parachute jump out of an actual plane, and it felt much more daunting than the practice jumps they'd been required to do off the metal tower at basic training camp. "Hell, I'm not scared of heights, never have been, Christine and I jumped out of trees when Bones and Dad weren't paying attention, and I've been jumping out of swings since I was five. What'sa matter with me now, for gosh sakes? Snap out of it, Dude, that light's going off soon and that buzzer will sound, and the drill sergeant will shove your ass out of this plane himself, if need be! Get a grip, Parker!" he lectured himself silently.

Sure enough, the command came to stand up and grab the rope strung at eye level, a red light came on, the men shuffled toward the front of the plane, the door slid open, and another light glowed green. Men began to count off, step out the door, and fall into nothingness, until their chutes opened. When it was Parker's turn, he muttered a quick, silent prayer, checked his gear, closed his eyes, and jumped. His stomach gyrated like he was on a roller coaster, as he fell through the air. After a few minutes, his chute opened, jerking his body, and euphoria took over. "Wow! I could do that over and over! That is the coolest thing even! What was I so friggin' freaked out about? Let's go again!"


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65 Self-Conscious

"Sweetie, you don't look very happy this morning," remarked Angela, as she walked into Brennan's office with two cups of Earl Grey tea. "Try this new tea brand I found and tell me what's bugging you."

Brennan looked up from her computer with a frown. "Every morning since the twins were born, and I returned from maternity leave, I find myself in a quandary regarding my wardrobe choices for work. Booth isn't helpful since he maintains that I look _fabulous_ in whatever garment I've tried on, and Christine is too young to be objective about my appearance. She thinks Mommy looks great in anything, even a towel."

"Bren, you've gotta cut yourself some slack. Your abdomen is going to need some time to recover from childbirth."

"Angela, you're not telling me anything I don't already know. Remember we had this conversation after Christine was born. And besides, I am fully aware of the changes wrought upon the female anatomy as a result of child-bearing. I hate to admit I'm self-conscious, but my workouts aren't effective enough."

"Have you considered trying shapewear? One of the brands advertises 'comfortable compression to enhance the feminine physique.' I just can't recall its name right now. Another result of pregnancy; my memory is shot ever since William arrived; I can't find anything I stored away! Let's go shopping at lunch."

ooooooooooooooooooo

Three hours later, the pair walked into "La Belle Femme de Dentelle" and were greeted by its gushy proprietress. "We're interested in shapewear," began Angela. The sales woman launched into an accented torrent of excited words.

"We are limited on time. I think perhaps it's best if we just look for ourselves," Brennan interjected.

After browsing the racks, they entered adjacent dressing rooms to try on their selections. Angela heard intriguing sounds coming from Brennan's cubicle. "Are you okay, Sweetie?" she asked quietly.

"Angela, this is ridiculous. I am not a Gibson Girl! I feel like a constricted sausage in an inappropriately-sized casing! Spandex does not allow the skin to breathe. I will simply have to keep doing sit ups and crunches, and be patient. Let's go get a salad!"

On the way out the door, she muttered, " That salespersons 's French accent is totally wrong; what a fake!"


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66 Suspicious

"Daddy, why is Uncle Hodgins wearing a hat in the house?" asked Christine." I thought Mommy said that was bad manners."

Booth chuckled as he stepped into the Hodgins' spacious front hall. "Christine, it's not polite to ask questions like that, but Hodgins was running an experiment at the lab to help Mommy, and it exploded."

"A spearamint? What for?"

"He was trying to find out what kind of dust we found in the park the other day," Booth simplified, not wanting to enlighten his little daughter about the ghastly condition of their latest crime victim.

"So, why is he wearing a hat?" Christine asked again.

"Cause he burned his hair!" Michael Vincent informed her excitedly, bounding down the stairs two at a time toward them.

"Michael Vincent Staccato Hodgins, how many times must I tell you not to run downstairs like that? You're going to fall face first, bite your tongue and split open your chin!" declared his father.

"How do you know that, Daddy?" Michael Vincent queried his dad.

"Because I did it when I was your age, and had to get a lot of stitches! It hurt like h-, well, it hurt badly, so just cut it out! You two go play Legos in the library, and Magda will bring you some cookies and milk."

ooooooooooooooooo

Once the children were out of earshot, Hodgins turned to Booth. "The particulates I collected off the body are very suspicious, Booth. They don't match any plants, soil, or minerals native to any area for 200 miles around the park."

"Cam find anything?"

"There was an oily substance in the stab wound to the man's chest. I'm running it through the mass spec but the results won't be available until tomorrow morning."

"Sorry about your hair, man."


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67 Mistake

Brennan was sliding the pans of lasagna into the oven to cook for dinner when Booth walked in the front door, flung his keys into the dish on the entry hall table and slumped onto the sofa. Noticing the lack of his usual "Lucy, I'm home" kiss, Brennan took off her hot mitts, laid them on the kitchen counter, and went into the family room, analyzing her husband's posture for clues about his mood as she walked toward him. "Booth, what's the matter?"

"I'm such an idiot! I should have known better than to let Ben's nephew cut my hair! What a mistake! This mess is going to take at least two months to grow out! My first instinct was to reschedule my appointment when I realized that Ben was on vacation. That would have been the intelligent thing to do, but NOOOO, I had to go and be impulsive, just because I have a meeting with Cullen's boss tomorrow morning. I figured I didn't want to go waltzing into the big wig's office looking like the Shaggy Dog. And Leon was so anxious to please. So I went against my better judgment, and had him cut it. I should never let anyone but Ben so much as look at my hair, much less touch it! He's the only barber I've used since I learned how skilled he is when I first came to D.C. It took me four months to find a decent barber; you should have seen my hair after the first three doofusses that I tried cut it. Rebecca yukked it up several times while we were dating. The Army barbers were better than those guys. Ben has been a godsend to me; I never have to worry about getting a proper haircut. And now look at me, I look like a peeled onion! The joker used the wrong clipper shield-Three times! The top is too short, and the bottom was too long, and then he got it way too short trying to even things up! I haven't looked this bad since summer football practice and basic training!"

Standing behind him, Brennan massaged Booth's taut shoulders. She rolled her eyes and chuckled silently at his diva style tirade. He was extremely vain about his hair. "Booth," she soothed, "you are not an idiot, and your hair doesn't look that bad. It's shorter than usual, but if you spike it with your Slumber Head wax, it will look fine."

"Bed Head wax, Bones. You're sweet, but I know what I know. It looks dreadful."

"Booth, I will tell you what my mother told me when Russ cut my pony tail when I was eight, after she walloped him with her wooden spoon: _'There's one thing about hair, it will always grow back.'_ Now, let's go eat before the lasagna scorches."

"Thanks, Bones. It smells great and I'm starving."


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 69 Complicated

Christine stood in the doorway of her mother's home office. "Could I talk to you about something?"

"Of course, anytime. I'm just editing the last chapter I wrote; what's on your mind?" Brennan said immediately. "Come sit down." She gestured to the small couch. "You used to hide under that plaid throw when you didn't clean your room thoroughly enough, but we always found you," she remembered fondly, smiling at her daughter.

"I met this guy in my abnormal psychology class last semester, Mom, and we were in a study group together. We were assigned to the same research group to conduct student interviews on family interaction and we set up a study group to prepare for tests. He invited me for coffee, we've had lunch a few times, and I think he might be close to asking me out. I'm just not sure if I should mix business and pleasure, so to speak. We get along great; he's also a criminology major, but I don't want to complicate things if we start dating and it doesn't go well, and then we still have to see one another in class. But I enjoy his company, and I really like him."

"Christine, I understand your hesitations and you're wise to analyze your feelings and situation before entering a possible social-sexual relationship."

"MOM! I haven't even been on a date with him, Geez, …"

"I mean, honey, that I've been where you are. Your father and I were partners in a professional sense for over six years before we became romantically involved."

"Not to hear Aunt Angela tell it…"Christine muttered.

"Yes, that's true. Your dad and I had deep feelings for one another long before we admitted it to ourselves, each other, or anyone else. Our first bond was a deep friendship. I made a serious mistake being unwilling to trust myself, my gut, as your dad calls it. It nearly cost us everything. Take things one step at a time and see where it leads you. But don't be afraid to try."


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69 Black Out

Cam was half-way through dissecting their latest victim's stomach tissue, so Hodgins could analyze its contents, when the lights went out.

"Okay, people, don't panic, the emergency back-up generator will have the lights back on in a few minutes. Nobody cut yourself while we wait!"

ooooooooooooo

Booth was conducting a Monday morning meeting with his team when the small Hoover conference room went dark.

"There goes our suggestion list for possible leads," he groaned. "We'll just keep reviewing what you've found so far until the lights come back on. Shaw, what have you and Colpitts learned from the suspects' phone records?"

"Ben Harkness made numerous calls to the pawn shop in Anacostia. The proprietor Sam Pendleton seems to have some ties to several D.C. drug gangs," Genny responded.

"Okay, good. See if you can pinpoint the gang's distribution sites. Maybe Angela can help you. Bennett, what you and Farley uncovered from the BOLO's you sent out on those stolen cars?"

ooooooooooooo

Brennan's and Angela's cell phones chimed simultaneously. "Christine is quite upset by the thunder, Dr. Brennan. Do you want us to comfort her, or do you wish to come down here during her lunch period?"

"Michael Vincent is wailing because first he saw lightning, and then it went pitch-dark. Our emergency lights are on now, but he is still crying, Mrs. Montenegro-Hodgins. Do you want to come over and eat your lunch with him, or should we try to settle him down before naptime?"

"Cam, it looks like I'm needed in the daycare," Brennan told her boss.

"Me, too," Angela said. "The kids are freaking out over there."

The friends headed for the elevator, calling their spouses on the way.

"Booth, Christine is fine, just upset by the storm."

"Hodgie, Michael has been crying over the lightning. Ben Franklin he isn't!"

"Angela, what are we doing, standing here punching an unlit button and waiting for a inoperable elevator?" Brennan chuckled, after a few minutes of pointlessly ineffective waiting for the 'down' car to arrive.

"Silly us!" Angela gasped, laughing so hard she couldn't breathe. "Let's not tell the guys about our little mistake!"


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70 Reveal

Booth's cell phone came to life with Foreigner's "Juke Box Hero."

"Booth.

"Dad, can you meet me and Mom at the diner for lunch?" Christine asked. "Since I'm off school today, it'll be my treat."

"Sure, Honey, that sounds great. I'll pick up Bones at the lab and meet you there."

Brennan's cell phone blasted "Hot Blooded" across the lab.

"Wow, Dr. B, you've got that on high today, huh?" laughed Finn.

"Yes, I will turn down the volume; I wonder if Hank and Max have been playing games on my phone," Brennan responded as she pressed the button to answer.

"Brennan,"

"Mom, can you meet me and Dad at the diner for lunch? He said he'd pick you up on his way. Since it's a school holiday, I thought I'd treat you guys."

"Of course, Christine, is 12:30 acceptable? I need to finish recording my findings on the Algonquin I'm analyzing while there's a lull in our case load. And it's 'Mom and me'."

"Sure, Mom, I know, see you then."

Two hours later, the pair entered the diner arm in arm, and found Christine waiting at their favorite table. She had ordered coffee for them both and a Pepsi for herself.

Once they had ordered from Imelda, Christine turned to them with a huge grin. "I have two surprises to reveal!"

"I've been accepted to Penn, and the summer job I was hoping for!"

"They have numerous excellent undergraduate programs," Brennan commented enthusiastically.

"What's this secret summer job?" Booth inquired.

"I'm the newest office assistant at the Rockville Police Department! Since I worked at the hospital lab last summer, this will help me decide between biochemistry and criminology for my major!"

"Wow, honey, you've really thought this through," her dad beamed.

"I wanted to get a job all on my own, without anyone's assistance or influence this time!"

"We're both so proud of you!" Brennan told her.

On the way back to work, they turned to one another in the SUV. "You think she didn't realize every police department in the tri-state area knows I work for the FBI?"

"Booth, she's striving for independence, that's what counts."


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71 Grotesque

Brennan spent Friday morning in Bone Storage, trying to forget the event of the past week. Her favorite brilliant intern Zack Addy revealed as Gormogon's apprentice; his hands mangled by the intentional explosion he set off in Hodgins' lab. The Native American skeleton she was examining had an unusually large knot on the fibula. She surmised that the man had broken his leg, then suffered a fall during healing which re-broke the bone. He had recovered but the misaligned remodeled bone had formed an enormous fracture callus. She stripped off her gloves to answer her jangling cell phone.

"Brennan."

"Temperance, this is Dr. Henderson's office. Your husband became violently nauseated during his dental cleaning. Our hygienist feels it would be best to postpone his appointment, and the dentist concurs. Mr. Booth insists he can continue his appointment but he may be suffering from a virus, and we'd like to reschedule him. Can you come pick him up?"

"Of course, Brittany. I'll be there shortly."

Arriving at the dental clinic, Brennan found Booth sitting in its waiting room. "Bones, this is ridiculous. I want to get this over with, not come back next week," he began.

"Booth, what happened? You seemed fine this morning."

"Teeth, Bones, teeth."

"I don't understand what that means."

"When I sat down in the dental chair, the smells reminded me of those sinister dentures Zach made. One lodging in your arm from that taxi bomb, how grotesque those creepy matching teeth looked; it made me retch. I lost my breakfast. I didn't explain; the dental staff would think I'm nuts. I'm okay now. I'd just as soon get this over with. I hate the dentist. That tooth infection from the Iraqi jailer fracturing my jaw, the root canal…"

"Booth, Gormogon upset me too. Let's just get out of here."


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72 Swim

"Swim, Booth, swim faster! Take longer strokes, kick harder, breathe deeper!" Brennan screamed in desperation , leaning as far as she could out of the helicopter door. He had miraculously been thrown clear of the doomed ship by the tremendous force of the timed detonation. He didn't reach the edge of the deck fast enough to climb aboard before the explosives ignited and Brennan was certain he was dead. But when she opened her eyes, he was bobbing in the icy water. The helicopter's pilots swooped in as close as they could and the rescue team lowered a basket as a rescue diver was lowered to assist the agent. Hypothermia would set in quickly, but Booth was swimming for all he was worth, despite a cut on his forehead. Just as he was buckled into the basket and the line began to reel him up, the cable severed and he plunged back into the frigid waves below.

"Noooo!" Brennan awoke in a cold sweat, panting hard.

"Bones, wake up. I'm right here, I'm okay; you're having a nightmare," Booth spoke quietly, trying to calm and reassure her. She opened her eyes, gazed at him, released a shuddering sigh of relief, and buried her head on his shoulder. "Thank goodness, you're safe! I guess I was dreaming.

She leaned up and kissed him soundly, and then stopped, held perfectly still, closed her eyes a moment, then broke into gales of laughter.

Booth stared at her as if she was demented. "What are you laughing at? Are you okay?"

"Booth, in my dream, I shut my eyes when the explosion occurred. Remember me teasing you about closing your eyes in the Gormogon vault when you thought there was a bomb, and you said it helped? I realize now that's an instinctive response to danger. I shut my eyes too, and it would have done no good at all."

Booth shook his head, kissed her, and said, "I think you've finally lost it, gone around the bend, cracked up! What did you do with my always-rational Dr. Temperance Brennan?"

 _A/N: I know, a wacky response to this prompt, but that's where my brain went._


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73 Resign

Parker climbed into Booth's SUV, dropped his back pack onto the floor and clipped the seat belt into place. "Dad, I'm resigning from band!"

"Why, son, your director told your mom and me you're one of the most talented guitarists he's ever had in middle school, and that you're doing a great job on the cello. He said although the techniques are quite different, your existing knowledge of music will speed your learning curve and you should find it increasingly easier to play as your bowing skills progress."

Parker sighed and turned to look at his father. "Someone keeps scratching the case, and stealing my strings. I'm responsible for that instrument, and I can't put it in my locker. It has to stay in the band room, and the storage cages are too crowded. They only give us so many strings. I'll get charged for their loss. I can't prove anything, but I know I didn't misplace them!"

"Have you told your teacher what you suspect?"

"No, Dad, there's so many kids giving him excuses, he's not gonna believe me. I wish they had a jazz band class I could take, and play my own guitar. It'd fit in my locker just fine. "

"Parker, your teachers know you tell the truth. Any chance some classmate of yours is jealous; trying to undermine you or compete for your seat?"

"Your kidding, right Dad? You've heard us play; we're awful. I can't even hear myself play amid all the wrong notes. It sounds okay at home, but at school, it's hard to tell if I'm doing it right. I love playing for fun. I wish Mr. Gibbons was around more. He taught me so much that one afternoon at Angela's."

"Hang in there for the rest of the semester, Parker. Booths don't abandon their team mid-season. If you still dislike it this much at Christmas, we'll get you moved to a different class."


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74 Nonsense

Engrossed in the report he was trying to finish before leaving for the day,

Booth was at first unaware of the tall man lounging against the door frame of his office. After a few seconds, the visitor cleared his throat. The deep cough broke Booth's concentration. "Mr. Gibbons! Hello, what a surprise! What brings you to the Hoover Building?" Booth said in amazement.

"Your front desk guards tried to confiscate my shades," the bearded spangle jacketed guitarist stated dryly. "Then I believe they may have recognized me, as they relented and let me pass. Good to know the guv'mint takes its security seriously. I wonder if I could hire one of those fellas away to join my team," Billy Gibbons mused aloud.

It wasn't often that Booth was at a loss for words, but he wasn't sure what to say next. "How can I help you?" he ventured.

"Son, I'm not here 'cause I need anything. Expecting the FBI to do me any favors is nonsense. I can take care of myself. I'm here on account of that talented boy of yours. I promised him I'd show him a few chords the next time I was in D.C. for a concert, so here I am. My daughter said I ought to let you know before I head over to your house."

oooooooooooooooooo

Forty-five minutes later, Booth walked in the front door. He was so glad that Parker was living with them right now. His son was sprawled on the couch, amid a chemistry book, calculator, notebook and pencils. "Hey, Bub, there's someone here to see you," Booth told the boy, stepping aside to reveal his idol.

"Son, you caught up enough on that homework to have a jam session with me?"

"Mr. Gibbons! Oh! Sure, I'd love to! I can't believe you're here!"

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Booth retrieved his military earplugs from his SUV as the two guitars were tuned up in his man cave.


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter 75 Declare

 _A/N: This continues the previous chapter's arc._

Billy Gibbons came up the stairs from Booth's man cave, one hand on the stair rail, the other on his left knee cap, a frown furrowing his brow. Noticing his daughter seated at the dining table drinking tea with Brennan, the musician quickly re-arranged his expression into a smile. But he wasn't fast enough.

"Dad, are you okay?" Angela asked her father, half rising from her chair. "Do you want to sit down?"

"Pookie-girl, if you mention my bum knee, I will announce your birth name at my next concert!" Billy warned her. "That stumble backstage last month aggravated my old baseball injury, but I just keep truckin' so you don't worry yourself."

"Temperance, that boy has a real gift for music," Billy declared. "Parker has improved immensely since the last time I heard him play. He must be real serious about his guitar, because it's obvious he's practiced a great deal."

"I know he plays down there all the time when he's staying with us, and he's written several original songs. He doesn't say much about them, but the music carries through our ductwork, and I can tell when he's working on a new composition from the frequently repeated melody I hear," Brennan told him.

"If he keeps at his music, he could make a career out of it," Billy assured her, "but don't tell him I said so; I don't want it going to his head. He's still got a lot to learn."

"Booth and I really appreciate your making time to help Parker. It means so much to him that you think he has potential," Brennan said warmly. She fell silent as rapid footsteps pounded up the stairs.

"Bones, Aunt Angela, you wanna hear me play with Mr. Gibbons before he leaves for his concert?" Parker beamed at the women. "Do you have time to play it through once?" he asked the guitarist.

"Sure, son, let's head downstairs. The acoustics are better." Angela's dad smiled at Parker. "We'll show 'em whatcha got!"


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76 Corrupt

After their brief jam session, Billy Gibbons grinned at Parker. "You played that real well, kiddo. If you keep practicing, and developing your songs, you're gonna make one fine musician someday soon. Writin' your own tunes and lyrics teaches you some aspects of music that playin' other folks' songs just can't."

"Thanks for coming over to help me! You taught me so much in just one afternoon!" Parker enthused. " I don't want to make you late for your concert, though."

"You know, Angie's coming to hear us play, and we've got extra passes. Would you three like to come to the concert?" Billy asked. "You could leave midway through if it gets too late for Parker on a school night."

"Could we, Dad? Tomorrow's teachers meetings, so we're off."

"Let me call your mom first, Bub, and see what she thinks," Booth cautioned his son.

oooooooooooooooo

Hours later after the concert, Billy met the group in the lobby and took Parker backstage to meet his band. As they were returning, he said to the boy, "Parker, Angie was telling me you've had some trouble at school with kids damaging your cello and you're considering quitting band. People can be pretty mean sometimes. But don't ever let idiots corrupt your love for music, son. Each different instrument you learn to play makes you a better musician, develops your technique, gives you skills to write music," Billy said seriously. "Don't let bullies keep you from realizin' your dreams."

Parker listened intently. "You mean you've got to put up with the buzzards to soar with the eagles? My Pops told me that when I was little."

Billy threw back his head and laughed. "Your Pops is a smart guy. Couldn't have put it better myself. What would you say if I came to your school and talked to your band? You think they might listen if an old coot talked some sense into their heads? Anytime a kid damages an instrument, it's a crime in my book."

"Wow, that'd be great. My band teacher would love it; said he's loved your music since he was our age!"

"Okay, then, you gotta deal."


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77 Wrong

 _A/N: Several readers' suggestions have propelled me into this Billy Gibbons/Parker story arc, and by chance, this next prompt fell into place perfectly for the next part of their tale._

The auditorium of Tidal Basin Middle School was filled with the chatter of entering students finding their seats, wondering aloud what might have brought about this change in their school day routine.

Behind the crimson curtains, Parker stood backstage, quaking inside, nervous as a cat, but trying not to show it. Angela's father had actually done it! Contacted his principal and band teacher, offering to come speak at their school to counteract the bullying he'd heard about. Granted, PTA's Red Ribbon Week had been several months ago. So his classmates were not expecting an encore assembly. But the chance to have ZZ Top's lead guitarist address their students? No sane school administrator would decline that proposal. In order to catch the students' attention, Billy had given Parker a song to learn; one of the band's most famous anthems.

Suddenly, the students' cacophony was interrupted by chords, strumming, speakers popping, and musical cascades from electric guitars. Falling quiet, the audience held its collectively-bated breath wondering who was warming up back stage. When the band was in place, the curtains swooshed aside and the kids erupted in cheers.

After two well-known rock songs, the band paused and Parker walked on stage, stopping next to Billy Gibbons. The group launched into their next number as Parker played along. The student body watched him in silent amazement. Once the song ended, the curtain closed.

Once their cheers subsided, Billy Gibbons stepped forward to address the youngsters. "I understand some of you band students have been experiencing some heckling from your classmates. Kids are damaging instruments, and stealing strings, reeds, and other supplies. That's just wrong! Is this the kind of behavior your folks and grandparents have taught you people? Doesn't show respect for others property, your classmates, or yourselves for that matter. I heard y'all wore red ribbons, made posters, and listened to speeches awhile back, but didn't get the message. Went in one ear and out t'other. That's horse hockey, and you people know it. Cut the crap! Sorry, I know that's crude, but that's what bullying is. Plain and simple! Act your age and stick up for each other. Make us proud. That's all I'm gonna say, but I better not have to come back! Now you kids have a pretty talented school mate, so he and I are gonna close this show with a new song he wrote. Parker, come on back out here, son."

 **Sorry about the word count; I tried using a shoe spoon to cram this chapter into the box, but it wouldn't fit.**


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78 Right

"Dear Mr. Gibbons, Our administration and faculty deeply appreciate your recent voluntary appearance and your band's impromptu performance at Tidal Basin Middle School. Our educational system would benefit greatly from more citizen involvement like yours, helping us teach these kids right from wrong. Behavioral improvements indicate that our student body took your admonitions to heart; we've had no bullying incidents since that assembly. Interest in band enrollment has spiked thanks to your taking time from your concert tour to visit our school."

"Well, I'll be danged, Angie. You oughta see this letter my manager got. My little speech actually did some good," Billy Parker remarked the next time his daughter called.

"Dad, apparently Parker has made first chair in his band. Booth said he's sticking it out til year's end."

"That boy wrote me a thank you note too. They're raisin' him right. He's got the makings of a fine musician and a good man someday soon."

"Michael Vincent's been banging away on the miniature electric guitar you gave him, Dad. Only thing you forgot to buy was a year's supply of Advil for my headaches from the volume! Hodgins has been tinkering with the amplifier to reduce its punch; says his hearing is shot and you're going to owe him a set of hearing aids before long."

"Baby Girl, you spent your childhood around loud amps and your hearing's just fine. Mine too," Billy chuckled. "Maybe that husband of yours needs a new tattoo on his chest of my furry Gretsch Billy Bo or my Gibson 1959 Pearly Gates Les Paul."

"DAD! No more!"

"Okay, okay, honey. You tell Parker I said to keep practicing and I should be back in D.C. for our Memorial Day concert. We'll have a little jam session then, and Michael can join us!"


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter 79 Administer

"Temperance, I hope you'll consider being the director of our Four Corners dig this season. We need someone to administer the cataloging of skeletal artifacts so that they can be returned to the correct tribe for burial once we have studied them thoroughly. There are remains from several tribes in the area being excavated since it was a juncture of three important trade routes. The team there now has also reported finding some Spanish military artifacts and religious items. It appears that the historical timeline of this project will need to be expanded considerably, as it may cover many more decades than we had originally anticipated. We'd need you from May through November."

"Michael, I can fulfill your request if the electronic records can be sent to the Jeffersonian. I will be coming out to the dig in early June for two weeks, but I cannot stay on site longer than that. I could certainly oversee the accuracy of your catalog from D.C. once I return home."

"Have you lost your love of archaeology to the crime solving pursuits you share with that FBI agent? You used to be so dedicated, how could you abandon your first field of endeavor for activities others can perform just as well?" her frustrated former colleague and professor demanded.

"Dr. Stires, how dare you? I have not abandoned anything! My scientific knowledge is being put to excellent use on several fronts! I've published three articles this year on bones sent to us from overseas, which turned out to be Persian, Ming Dynasty, and Aztec in origin. I found the cause of death of an Egyptian mummy and proved the innocence of a boy long accused of murder. Booth and I are the best team the US government has ever had for unraveling difficult cold criminal cases! I am also expecting our second child October 2nd. In view of your arrogance, you are lucky I would consider working with you at all!"


	80. Chapter 80

Chapter 80 Embrace

Hodgins disembarked from the Cantilever Group jet with a grave expression on his face. Angela descended the fold-out stairway behind him, Michael Vincent's hand grasped carefully in her own. The little boy's excitement over his long airplane ride over the ocean was out of sync with his mother's subdued mood. The two adults secured their son in his car seat, climbed in behind him and the waiting car left the private airport. They had declared no luggage so a trip through customs wasn't necessary. The driver took them to a quiet street in Rockville Maryland and waited in the car while they walked up to the post-modern house. They were the last of the unorthodox family to arrive. Booth opened the front door, shook Hodgins' hand and hugged Angela. She went straight to the sofa where a red-eyed Daisy sat with Brennan and embraced them both.

Cam and Arastoo came out of the kitchen, and Hodgins spoke to them quietly. "We came as soon as we heard. Is there nothing the doctors can do? This is so much worse than worrying that Michael might be born blind," he murmured. Cam shook her head sadly. "They've run every test they can think of, and consulted with several specialists Dr. Brennan knows personally. His condition was concealed by the colic; they thought it would pass."

Brennan stood up, led Daisy down the hall to the master bedroom and closed the door. Booth motioned for Angela and Hodgins to follow him outside. "Bones has done some digging into Sweets' medical background with Cam's and Aubrey's help. Apparently neurofibromatosis ran in his birth mother's family. His adoptive parents kept all the records from the foster system."

Brennan rejoined the group and spoke for the first time. "Baby Seeley has several malignant lesions on his esophagus which made him throw up like he had colic. This form of cancer is untreatable in a child so young. All that can be done is to keep him as comfortable as possible. Daisy hasn't slept since the diagnosis."

 _A/N: I saw a rerun of the episode wherein Booth sponsors the children's hospital carnival, and this sad chapter's plot crept into my brain. I don't like writing dark stuff, but it hung around a few days, so I put it out there._


	81. Chapter 81

Chapter 81 Argue

If there was anything constant about the relationship between Special Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan, it was their bickering. From their first encounter in a university classroom after Brennan's defleshing lecture until the day they were wed in the Jeffersonian gardens, their differing opinions, corrections of each other, and adversarial methods of discourse were well known to their colleagues. Brennan favored rational logic to solve conundrums, Booth used his gut to gauge the veracity of suspects' statements. 'Mind versus heart' defined their exchange of ideas. Beyond the contentious verbiage, they were very similar people; both intensely dedicated to their work, endlessly exerting themselves to find justice for their victims and catch 'the bad guys' as Parker said.

The pair argued about everything. Booth loved pie; Brennan consider cooking a great disservice to fruit. Each had endured difficult periods growing up, but dealt with it quite differently. Booth loved Christmas, Easter, God, religion, and love itself. An aetheist, Brennan dismissed love as merely a physical reaction to pleasant stimuli and masked her emotions assiduously.

These disagreements were reassuring to their family and friends. To hear the pair argue was to know that normalcy reigned. Their children were accustomed to the jibes, knowing that their parents bond was ironclad. Their colleagues ignored their disagreements like the air conditioning's whir, an aspect of life's fabric. Beneath their exchanged acidic comments ran a constant current of love, mutual respect and devotion; to their work, to each other, to those important around them. To argue was to breathe.

Between the two of them, an unspoken attraction, utter fascination, an unbreakable connection existed from the moment of first sight in that college lecture hall. They had tried to deny it, to overcome it, to camouflage it from themselves and each other. And when they finally admitted it, grasped it, owned it, their lives were never the same.


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82 Lose

Booth pocketed his cell phone, bent his head, and sent a silent prayer skyward. There was still no word from Brennan; no contact with the dig site where she had been excavating remains at a newly discovered Olmec village in swampy lowland marshes near the known San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán temple complex along the Bay of Campeche. The Olmecs had terrible weather karma, Booth thought to himself. Volcanic eruptions were believed to have brought about the demise of this culture. A hurricane was currently lashing the area with high winds and torrential rains, and even the satellite phone which Brennan had taken was silent.

He hated to lose contact with her. His wife was no dummy, she knew what precautions to take for self-protection. He knew the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México valued Brennan's participation and would take steps to insure her safety. But her being incommunicado was driving him crazy. No one protected his Bones as well as he did, and he would worry constantly until he knew she was safe.

Their current training cycle at the FBI wouldn't end for another two months. Asked to teach a post-Quantico class to the best and brightest new FBI agents before they were assigned to posts across the country, this was the third group the pair had mentored. The partners worked together to groom FBI teams in their highly successful methods.

Brennan had given her presentations first to accomodate her directing the Olmec project while still working with the FBI. Their seminar was four months long; wildly popular with the FBI brass and the young agent-students chosen for the program. Booth had tried all morning to focus on his students' questions, but his mind was 1680 miles away.

Glad when lunchtime arrived, he tore down the stairs and out the front door of the Hoover to St Patrick's Church three minutes away. Entering the quiet church, he slipped into a pew near the back, knelt, and got down to business praying for Brennan's safe return. He felt his turmoil lessen slightly as he left the church and pulled the PB&J from his pocket.

Christine had thought it hilarious that he'd made three of her favorite sandwich that morning; one each for her and Hank, and one for Daddy. It was a special treat the kids got only when her mother went on a dig. Chewing the last gummy bite, Booth had a hard time answering his phone around the peanut butter.

"Booth, what's wrong? You sound very odd like your mouth is full of cotton…"

"Bones! Thank God! You're okay? I took too large a bite,"

"I'm fine, Booth. Communications have finally been restored. I'm returning early because the storm prevented continuing our work. We secured the site and will return later. I'll be home tonight."


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter 83 Monster

Set some years in the future.

Once Christine was off to college and the twins were in high school, Brennan decided to act upon a promise she had made to herself as a teenager. Caught in the conundrum that was foster care, she resolved that if she made it 'out' of the system, (which sometimes seemed unlikely given the horrid foster situations she'd endured) she would properly assist a foster child.

Already licensed as a foster parent for Haley and Emma, she'd volunteered with CASA for several children, whose predicaments broke her heart. Finally, with Booth's and her children's support, she'd accepted her first young charges, Frannie and Zoe, whose parents had loved J.D. Sallinger. The brother and sister were ages 5 and 6, respectively. A speeding drunk driver had demolished their normal childhood.

Booth and Brennan had converted their guest room into a bunk bedded haven for the siblings. Most nights when she checked on the kids, Brennan found them both in the top bunk. After a few nightmares, Booth had wisely installed the twins' baby monitor in the newcomers' room. He and Brennan knew from experience that night terrors were easier dealt with as quickly as possible. A humorous feature of Parker's childhood, the Monster Spray Bottle, helped dispel the creatures that lurked in closets, active imaginations, and under beds. And the Dragon Slayer song, first sung to Booth and Jared, by their Gram and Pops, was very effective as well.

When childish cries split the silence of night, the partners would hug, rock, reassure and calm the frightened boy and girl. And when all else failed, they'd sit in his ugly yellow recliner or her pricey leather one, their arms around the little shoulders until the sobbing stopped and sleep returned.

 _A/N: These foster kids snuggled in the top bunk is a throwback to my oldest-sibling childhood. When I was 13, my dad was transferred from Oklahoma to the Gulf Oil Corporation Harmarville, PA Research Lab (Pittsburgh metro area). My parents rented a furnished home for the summer from a Carnegie-Mellon professor gone to California for academic research. The bedroom configuration put our parents upstairs with two children and me downstairs with my 4 year old sister. In unfamiliar surroundings separated from Mom and Dad by stairs and hallways, she would come to my bedside when frightened at night. Once we came back home, she continued this practice. But now we were back in our bunk beds. She would climb the ladder and jostle my shoulder a bit seeking comfort. Many nights we scrunched together in that elevated twin bed until she outgrew her bad dreams._


	84. Chapter 84

Chapter 84 Hit

Booth dove into the role of foster parent 'whole hog' as Brennan knew he would. At 21, Parker was old enough now to act as a mentor as well, and helped his father teach Franny and Zoe the finer points of tossing a football one crisp September Saturday morning. They paired off and threw the pigskin to the kids for an hour. Parker had wanted to tell them about the human finger he'd found at the park all those years ago, but both his dad and Bones cautioned him that might not be advisable in light of the recent tragic car crash in which their parents had died. There would be time for that story later on.

On Sunday after church, Hank and Zach drug a dusty canvas bag out of the garage, and set up their old baseball Tee in the back yard. After demonstrating a proper batting stance and swing with their own high school equipment, the brothers took turns retrieving the soft plastic ball as Franny whacked at it with a plastic bat. To their delight, after several afternoons of practice, the boy hit accurately enough to graduate to slow-pitch.

Quite the little lady, Zoe was reluctant to try her hand at T ball, until Christine arrived for Sunday dinner. She watched with her parents from the kitchen windows, amazed at her brothers' patience with Franny.

"Why is Zoe sitting this one out?" she asked her father.

"She told Bones girls don't play baseball," Booth chuckled, knowing what was coming.

Christine grabbed her mother's hand. "Mom, the salad can wait," she declared, and walked outside.

"Hey, you three, let us girls have a turn!"

Brennan picked up the baseball; Christine situated herself with the bat, and awaited her mother's pitch.

"Thwack!" She swung the bat and the ball soared over the fence, landing next door.

Zoe's eyes widened. "Come on, Missy, you can do this, too!" Christine assured her. She placed the soft ball on the tee, showed the little girl how to stand, and positioned the bat in her hands.

"Now, swing!" she cried.

Zoe gave it a go, and the ball sailed into Brennan's vegetable garden. "I did it!" she beamed.

"See, I knew you'd hit it!" Christine exclaimed, and swung Zoe around by the waist to celebrate.

Booth, slicing tomatoes, smiled to himself in satisfaction.


	85. Chapter 85

Chapter 85 Build

Franny and Zoe were settling into their new home fairly well, when Brennan received a phone call from their Child Services case worker one summer morning. "Dr. Brennan, we've had a request from some relatives of the children's deceased parents. This is most unusual, since we try to locate family members to take children in these situations, and didn't find any. Their mother's second cousin is much older, and we weren't even aware of her. Her daughter just learned of the accident and called me. The older lady apparently helped raise their mom. She would like to maintain contact with the children if you approve, and possibly come for a visit. If you don't want to pursue this, they will understand."

For once, Temperance Brennan was silent. "Dr. Brennan?"

"Ms. Haggerty, that's quite a surprise, but I know how important family connections are. Let me talk to my husband and see what we can arrange."

ooooooooo

Two weeks later, a car pulled up in front of the house. Franny and Zoe were sitting on the living room couch with Brennan, waiting. She and Booth had explained to them who was coming to visit. The children didn't seem to recognize the names. But when Booth opened their front door, the kids took one look at the tall gray-haired lady and ran to her. "Auntie Jem!" they cried and hugged her legs.

Their visitor straightened up, and smiled apologetically at Booth and Brennan. "I can't tell you how much this means to me. I know how odd this must seem to you. My daughter just heard about Melanie and Jim. I lived with Melly's family for several years as a teenager after my own parents passed. She was just a little thing, but we hit it off. I live in a retirement center, but she brought these little ones to visit me often. We were teaching them how to play dominoes."

"Dominoes?" Brennan asked. A smile spread across her face, as Booth went to the bookshelves and returned with a shabby cardboard box. "We both played with my Pops," he said with a catch in his voice. "My son Parker did too. When he was little he just wanted to build walls with the pieces."

As Franny and Zoe dumped the box to sort the spotted tiles, Brennan told their visitor. "Building family bonds are essential to children's well-being. We're so glad you came."


	86. Chapter 86

Chapter 86 Destroy

Booth turned off the television, disgusted that his Flyers had lost their game. He laid the remote on the coffee table, and stood up slowly, letting his knees and feet adjust to his weight. A strange noise from Brennan's office caught his attention, and he walked to the doorway. His wife was sitting at her computer, her hand across her mouth.

"What'sa matter, Bones?" he asked.

I've just received an email from one of my former colleagues in Britain. Apparently, one of the Syrian archaeologists we worked with on a dig some years ago has given him bad news. The conflicts in the Middle East are endangering some of the most important cultural sites in his country. Several have been damaged by bombing. The different factions can't agree on how or whether to protect the ancient temple ruins in the region. Some groups feel they should be guarded. Other groups claim they should be leveled because of their pagan origins. They have stated they will destroy the sites if they gain control of those areas. Their leading scholars are protesting at great personal risk to themselves. It's very sad to me that people can't agree to honor the heritage of their past, even if they don't accept the philosophies of the ancient people who considered them sacred. Preserving the record of the past is important to future generations being aware of their culture. Temple sites, artifacts, mummies, sacred objects; these are how young people learn about history, archaeology, anthropology. Disagreeing with the beliefs of those who built or made them is not a reason to destroy cultural history, in my opinion."

"As someone who's spent her life contributing to archaeology, that has to be difficult for you, Bones," Booth sympathized.

"Arastoo is very concerned that the Baghdad Museum might be closed permanently. If that occurs, it will be difficult for scholars outside the region to monitor the fate of the statues and exhibits housed there. He is also quite worried that unrest in the region might hamper his brother Hamid's plans to come to the States from Iran in time for his and Cam's wedding in December."


	87. Chapter 87

Chapter 87 Breathe

Parker proposed at breakfast that Franny and Zoe might enjoy sleeping in the tree house like he had done with Christine and the twins when they were younger. The well-built sky-high juvenile retreat, as Brennan had once called it, was spacious enough for four sleeping bags, although admittedly a tight fit. It was decided since the Booth children were all fairly tall, that perhaps three overnight guests was optimal for this adventure. Since Christine would be home for the weekend, the family planned the sleepover for Saturday night. Parker, Hank and Zach would camp out in the backyard below, and see if Michael Vincent was available to participate.

For the next several days, Parker showed the children how to roll up a sleeping bag, helped them collect the requisite items for a camp-out; flashlight, batteries, bug repellent, sunscreen, and sunhat, and chuckled as they jammed it all in backpacks. Christine stocked the tree house with water bottles and cracker packets sealed in a metal tin to discourage insects.

On Saturday night, the Booths and guests brushed their teeth, donned sleep shorts and t-shirts, and trooped outside for a story telling session on the back porch before retiring. Parker gave them a boost up on the ladder and a warning to call his cell phone from Christine's if they needed a bathroom visit in the dark to prevent any falls.

Oooooooooo

Several hours later, Franny awoke to a chorus of very odd sounds. He held his breath and listened, wondering and worrying what creature might be lurking in the yard. He jostled Christine's shoulder gently, "Chrissy, I'm sorry, but I'm scared. What is that noise?"

Christine opened one eye, reached over to pat Franny on the back, and listened. "You're hearing Parker and the twins breathe!" she whispered reassuringly. The three of them snore like freight trains. Mom and Dad make them close their bedroom doors at night, so they don't keep everyone awake! Go back to sleep, kiddo, they sound awful, but there's no danger."


	88. Chapter 88

Chapter 88 Assist

Vincent Nigel-Murray took a deep breath, ascended the platform steps and approached the exam table where Brennan was bent over the hapless victim of their latest crime investigation. "How are you this morning, Dr. Brennan? It's my turn in the rotation to assist you."

Even after months in the Jeffersonian program, he was still a bit intimidated by his formidable boss. Brennan looked up and smiled at him. "Today is November 2nd, International Archaeology Day, Mr. Nigel-Murray. It marks the date when Howard Carter and George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon first entered Tutankhamen's tomb. With your love of interesting facts, I'm surprised you weren't aware of that," she teased him gently.

Relaxing, he grinned back at her. "Did you know that the Earl of Carnarvon's estate castle Highclere where _Downton Abbey_ is filmed, was not the first choice of Julian Fellowes and Gareth Neames? Audley End in Essex was their mutual favorite, but they ultimately decided the layout of its grounds was not as well suited to the story's action as Highclere."

Vincent hesitated, then decided to share one more relevant fact with her. "My great-grandfather was a member of the Carter-Herbert expedition during the last season of exploration Lord Carnarvon agreed to fund. He inspired me to study archaeology."

He wisely chose not to enlighten her that his ancestor had stated that on November 4th 1922 the expedition found the steps which Carter hoped would lead them to the pharaoh's tomb; that not until November 26 did they actually enter the tomb. Since these facts of his family's lore didn't match Dr. Brennan's statements, he kept those tidbits to himself.

"Very intriguing, Mr. Nigel-Murray, but those facts won't illuminate who killed our victim here. The poor man was crushed by a tombstone, but not before he was shot in the chest."

"My great grandfather is buried in Putney Vale Cemetery, near where Titanic's J. Bruce Ismay is interred. One of their grave diggers John Ingram was killed by a stray bullet from the Wimbledon Common Rifle Range. It also hit him in the chest. He is buried-"

"Mr. Nigel-Murray, it's time to leave your facts and examine this man," Cam interrupted. "I'm running a tox screen on his liver, Dr. Brennan."


	89. Chapter 89

Chapter 89 A Prompt Experiment

Stab, bite, hunger, passage, drama, haunted, crisis, dirty, emotional

Michael Vincent came to slowly, groggy and confused. His scientist dad had taught him to be aware of his surroundings, physical sensations, cues from the environment. Taking stock of what he felt, he started a mental inventory. Prone on the damp ground, hands and feet bound, he attempted to roll over and found himself stuck in a narrow passage way. An inflamed insect bite itched horribly, the stab of hunger pierced his gut, his face was swathed in dirty cobwebs. His head throbbed, his restrained muscles ached. His mouth felt dry, and he had a headache. He felt strangely detached, like he was looking at himself in a movie. Blindfolded, he couldn't discern where he was, but he smelled wet leaves and soggy soil, and heard a car's rumble, driving nearby. Overhead? He wondered how that could be?

Hearing footsteps, he shivered and flinched, wondering who was approaching. Whatever drama had occurred since his capture, he was haunted by the emotional crisis he knew his disappearance would evoke in his sensitive mother. His parents would be distraught, but he had no doubt they would focus their worry on finding him. The expert evidence analysis of the Jeffersonian staff and Booth and Brennan's instincts for following clues would pinpoint this location and rescue him eventually. He just had to have faith and patience.

Suddenly, the blindfold was pulled off, and Michael blinked in the light. It appeared he was in a shed with garden tools and shovels hung on its walls. A scruffy, bearded man bent over to untie his hands.

 _A/N: Just for the heck of it, I decided to try emulating a few other hiatus authors, using multiple prompt words to create one chapter. It helps that these last 9 words are all 'angsty'. What do you think of the result?_


	90. Chapter 90

Chapter 90 Bite

 **A/N: A few readers asked if I would explain what happened to Michael. Deciding to give it a go, I've added some to Chapter 89, so you might want to re-read it. We pick up the story below:**

Angela Hodgins glanced at the clock. She had not received the nanny's normal text message, sent after picking Michael Vincent up from school. It was now 30 minutes overdue. Concerned, she picked up her own cell phone and hit speed dial. "Consuela? Are you and Michael home yet? You can give him the remaining chocolate chip cookies Maria baked last night; three of them won't hurt his appetite; he's eating everything in sight. It's a wonder he hasn't taken a bite out of the cur—"

"Senora, I—

"We've told you to just call us Jack and Angela, hon,"

"Michael Vincent wasn't at the bus stop after school!" the sitter interrupted her. "I've spent the last few minutes looking for him. I drove back to the school, and questioned some children and his teacher, but no one has seen him. I'm so worried!" she blurted and burst into tears. "Madre de Dios, I'm afraid the ninito is missing!"

Angela disconnected the call, and sped out of her office, down the hall to Hodgins' lab. "Jack!"

Her husband looked up in surprise. She rarely used his given name. "Angie?"

"Michael is missing! He didn't get off the bus!"

Five minutes later, the little red Mini-Cooper was speeding toward the Hodgins estate. Jumping out of the car, Hodgins spied an envelope extruding from the mailbox. Pulling on exam gloves he always carried in his pockets, he withdrew it carefully and sealed it inside an evidence bag. He raced into his home and questioned his staff. His security footage showed a dilapidated truck stopping at 2 pm. A man approached his mail box, then drove off. Hodgins returned to his driveway to collect soil and gravel from tire tracks around the mailbox, jumped back in his car, and raced back to the lab.

Angela, meanwhile, burst into Brennan's office, white-faced. Her friend didn't even stop to ask what was wrong, but pulled out her phone and called Booth. "Get over here now! Bring Charlie and Shaw!"

Without questioning his wife, Booth strode out of his office, called to his two agents, punched the elevator button repeatedly, and paced until the door slid open. Once inside the car, he called her back. "Bones, what's the -?"

"Booth! Michael's missing!"


	91. Chapter 91

Chapter 91 Hunger

"You hungry, kid? I guess your parents will pay attention to my job application when they find out you're missing. If they'd hired me as their gardener, this woulda never happened to you."

Michael Vincent sat up, rubbed his tingling arms, and wondered why his head felt so fuzzy. "Mister, who are you? Why'd you grab me? I never did anything to hurt you, never even saw you before…"

"Look, kid, the only way to get a rich man's attention is through his pockets. Your folks'll pay the ransom I demanded, and then you can go back home."

Michael Vincent started to tell the straggly stranger that his uncle worked for the FBI and his aunt could find anyone by their bones, and his dad could read leaves and dirt and bugs, but he decided to keep still and see what developed. At first he was too proud to accept the McDonalds' sack the man had placed beside him, but eventually, his hunger got the better of him, and he reached for it and unwrapped the thin hamburger inside.

oooooooooo

At the Jeffersonian, the team was working to identify Michael Vincent's kidnapper. Jack Hodgins bent over his microscope, examining the edge of the wrinkled letter Angela had returned to him after running it through her enhancing scanner to identify the fingerprints caught in the glue strip. Cam had already taken a sample to analyze for saliva DNA. Hodgins ran his collected particulates through the mass spectrometer. The envelope bore pollen from Virginia, the tire tracks held soil from Maryland. This multi-state evidence gave Booth the authority to involve the FBI.  
A half hour later Cam came to Hodgins with substantive news. "The prints and DNA belong to a small-time crook named Timothy McNulty," she began.

"Jack, that's the guy who applied to be a gardener that Thomas heard unsavory things about from the Culbertson's groundkeeper," Angela reminded him. "You turned him down for a job."


	92. Chapter 92

Chapter 92 Passage

The man's torn coat pocket jangled. "Mr. McNulty? I need to speak to my son. If he is safe, I will meet you in Fairview Park tonight at 8 pm as you asked," Jack Hodgins told him. The man handed the phone to Michael Vincent. "Dad? Yeah, I'm okay, dirty, and stiff, but —"  
His captor grabbed the phone away. "That's enough gabbin' - You heard your boy, he's okay. Just bring the money and you'll have him back."

Hodgins sighed, "You get that? He admitted to kidnapping, didn't he? Can we convict him with that?" he asked Caroline.

"With that recording and the evidence you collected, Cher, the guy's as good as in Hagerstown already. You just go get your son and let Seeley Booth grab the bad guy! And hug the poor bebe for me."

"The toad wants twenty grand to return Michael unharmed," Hodgins growled, recalling the letter's demand. "I'm to meet him at the passage under the Fairview Park bridge after dark."

"You'll be there, with backup," Booth assured him. "Cullen has already dispatched a team to the park to set up surveillance. We found the guy's prints in an Army data base of dishonorably discharged service members. Seems he has some mental problems, but he was a petty thief during basic training, so they sent him packing."

Several agents concealed themselves around the bridge among nearby trees. Booth slumped low in an unmarked car, connected to Hodgins by an earbud radio.

Hodgins drove his Mini-Cooper onto the little bridge, stepped out of the car, tied a purple cloth to its antenna as specified, then walked off the bridge and waited under its arches. A shabby man stepped out of a door he hadn't noticed, pulling Michael by the arm. "You got my money?" he asked in a raspy guttural voice.

Simultaneously, with Ranger-stealth and sniper silence, Booth approached the bridge, slipping through a stand of birch trees planted along the creek it crossed. He moved behind the unsuspecting man, grabbed both arms and cuffed him as Hodgins pulled his son to safety.

"You're under arrest for kidnapping, Mr. McNulty, anything you say can be ….." Booth read the man his Miranda rights, and led him to a waiting cruiser. "The Metro police will take care of you for tonight, but you abducted a Jeffersonian dependent, so you'll be hearing from the FBI tomorrow."

"I just needed some money," the derelict whined. "You wouldn't hire me, so what was I 'sposed to do? I can't find a regular job, what with that mental health lady callin' me every month. Where's my money?"

"I told you I'd meet you; McNulty, I never said I was bringing money," Hodgins gritted out.

"You won't need money where you're heading. They'll provide your meals, clothing, and shelter for a while to come." Booth told him.


	93. Chapter 93

Chapter 93 Drama

The drama of Michael Vincent's rescue overflowed more than one household. Since no remains analysis was required, Brennan had left the lab early the next afternoon to prepare a huge dish of Carly's Kitchen mac and cheese, and took garlic bread, salad and chocolate cake to the Hodgins for dinner. Booth and Christine met her there to eat. Angela hugged her friend and dissolved into tears. Booth and Hodgins shook hands. "Thanks, man. I don't know how to tha—"

"No need, you'd have done the same. Our crime techs found a maintenance room built under that bridge. That's where McNulty took Michael. His school is in DC and the park is in Virginia. McNulty took Michael across state lines, so he'll be charged with kidnapping by the FBI," Booth informed Hodgins quietly. "Your particulates and that recording will insure his conviction."

Over dinner, the adults turned to Michael Vincent. "Why didn't you get on the bus? Why did you even listen to that man?"

"Mom, I was cleaning erasers on the playground. This guy was lying by the fence, moaning. You always tell me to help others. When I approached him to see if he was hurt, he grabbed me! I guess he did something 'cause I don't remember anything til I woke up. I was all tied up! I smelled leaves and dirt, and car fumes, Dad, just like you taught me."

"Soil, Michael, not dirt,"Hodgins said with a worn smile.

"Jack!" Angela groaned.

"You two, from now on, no leaving the school grounds for any reason," Brennan said to the children.

"Why are you talking to me, Mom?" Christine protested.

"Because you both left the school grounds during lunchtime last year to rescue those kittens you heard yowling in the storm drain," her mother responded wryly. "Or have you conveniently forgotten that little escapade?"

'No, Mom, how could I forget? We lost recess for two weeks! I'm just glad Daddy found Michael."

"Hey, my dad and mom helped too!" Michael declared.

"I'm just glad this is over!" Angela sighed.

 _A/N: Okay, guys that's the end of my suspense episode….much harder to keep everything straight than I expected. Especially when my husband needed help in the midst of my posting. I had to revise a bunch. Next time I'll proof read stuff four times!_


	94. Chapter 94

Chapter 94 Haunted

Angela had breathed a sigh of relief when Michael Vincent was safely back at home. She had looked over every inch of him, much to her son's embarrassment, to assure herself that her child was unharmed. Jack had teased her gently that she resembled a lioness checking her errant cub for injuries. Michael Vincent had thought that quite amusing. But over the top of the boy's head, Angela saw the same worry and concern in her husband's eyes. She knew Hodgins had been just as stunned and frightened as she for their son's welfare. Only the overwhelmingly urgent need to discover clues to his whereabouts had prevented the couple from being paralyzed with grief at Michael's abduction. The two of them possessed unique skills to decipher what had occurred. If they didn't put aside their fear and work, he might not be found.

More than once, over the next several weeks, she awakened in a panic, grasping the sheets, her hair damp with perspiration, her chest heaving with sobs. Her dreams were dark, swirling scenes of futile searching for Hodgins and Brennan in a buried car, for Booth on a doomed ship, for Michael; unable to reach them, communicate with them, or assist her loved ones. Each time Jack would embrace her, rubbing her back, soothing her that it was only a dream. The couple was hard-pressed to get enough sleep; because some nights when Angela didn't have nightmares, Hodgins did. Then their roles reversed, as she sought to reassure her equally distraught husband that he, their friends, and their boy were all safe.

Once their pulses had calmed to normal, the tired, relieved parents would walk quietly down the dark hallway to their son's room, listen to his quiet breathing, watch his peaceful sleeping face, and tuck the covers around his shoulders. If he awoke, they'd kiss his forehead. Then they'd turn, arm in arm, and retraced their steps to their own bed, and try again to get some sleep.

The next morning over coffee one of them would remark, "I wish Sweets was still here." And Michael Vincent, who knew nothing of the other kidnappings his parents had experienced, would look at them, a bit puzzled, and agree that he missed Uncle Sweets.

And later those mornings, Angela and Brennan compared notes on their sleepless nights. As her best friend noted, it could just as easily have been Christine.

 _A/N: To all the readers without profiles allowing PM's: thank you for your many kind reviews, comments, and requests which improve my writing and stories. My panic upon re-reading my hastily posted 'Michael's gone' chapters was caused by a jumbled plot. I got things out of sequence in my rush to get my ideas down. Hopefully I corrected the flow before too many people read those parts. It's frustrating to get a review and be unable to personally convey my thanks in return. The writing this summer has been amazing. AmandaFriend dragging Michael Stires back into the Jeffersonian and her suspeneful plot, Quicksand from MoreBonesPlease, and Covalent Bond's several unfinished stories due to her demanding new job have been highlights. And more I've forgotten at the moment, but enjoyed no less. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Wendish returns with greatness and Etakkate pops up with Booth's craniotomy to keep me entertained. October 1st is too long to wait for the series' return but your writings have made the summer enjoyable in spite of the delay. This last chapter makes me feel better about my multi-chapter effort but it's still a dim reflection of so many other talented writings I've discovered and relished on Fan Fiction_.


	95. Chapter 95

Chapter 95 Crisis

Temperance Brennan locked herself into limbo for the morning. She informed Cam that she needed some solitude and she'd emerge at lunchtime. Booth's unjust imprisonment the previous year had severely stressed her as she and their friends worked to obtain his release before he was dead from a purposely random jailhouse brawl. But Jimmy the bookie's appearance at her front door had shaken her core. Compared to his threat, her teenage foster care abuse was child's play.

In the stainless steel silence of Bone Storage, she pondered how to extricate Booth from his gambling addiction. She'd already arranged to pay off his debts, removing the threat to Christine, but her husband was ensnared by the intoxicating siren call of dice, cards, and betting. After two hours of handling a Korean War veteran's pristine white bones, her whirring brain braked with steel resolve. Her course of action would stab her as deeply as him. But something had to grab his attention by the cajones.

Her quietly-stated demand the night he returned from Iran did so. She saw it in his eyes. Telling Booth to leave the house was the hardest thing she'd ever done; the cruelest words she'd ever uttered to him. But it was either them or his addiction. _No man can serve two mistresses._ The statement's cold truth was their relationship's only salvation.

She knew her solution to their crisis was the right one a few days later, when Booth thanked her and described his return to GA meetings, his resolve to resist and overcome. She'd be there every step of the way for him, as long as he persevered; as long as the truth forever replaced his sudden uncharacteristic lies. And a few months in, she welcomed him home. His battle wasn't over, but well underway.


	96. Chapter 96

Chapter 96 Dirty

Far in the future…..

Emily was engaged in one of her favorite activities at Grammy's house. She was exploring Christine's jewelry box. Her grandmother sat by the window in her sunny bedroom, composing a foreword for the 50th anniversary re-publication of Temperance Brennan's mystery novel series. Even this many years later, the books were still popular. Booth and Brennan's daughter smiled fondly down at the auburn head bent over her treasures. The little girl pulled out one keepsake after another, questioning her grandmother about the stories surrounding each as she went. This pastime never seemed to bore her. Of course, the jewelry box contained a tangle of mementoes from her lifetime and career.

Emily lifted a faded, stained patch and a dulled brass pin. "Grammy, what are these? What's that word? Why is it dirty?"

Christine gently took the items from her granddaughter's hand. "The brass pin belonged to your great-great-great-grandfather," she said, looking at Pop's World War II unit insignia. "It represents the group he fought with in Europe in 1943. This black and gold patch was your great-grand-dad's. It says 'Ranger.' He belonged to a very special group of soldiers whose missions were difficult and dangerous. They protected our freedom in some far-away places. My dad served our country many times that even I don't know about, because what he did was so secret. He was a very courageous man. The patch got dirty from all his work."

"What is 'rageous' Grammy?

"It means my father was very brave, sweetheart. He was an amazing man." Christine's eyes filled with tears, remembering. She went to her dresser and picked up a framed photograph. "This is him in his Army uniform. You can't tell from this picture, but you have his eyes; the same warm chocolate brown."

"You got his eyes and your great-grandmother's hair," she mused, smiling at the little girl. "Let's go make grilled cheese sandwiches and macaroni and cheese for lunch. It was one of their favorite meals. 'You can never have enough cheese', they used to say."


	97. Chapter 97

Chapter 97 Emotional

Booth came into the kitchen from the garage, walked to the bookcase gun safe to secure his weapon, and shucked his leather jacket, hanging it on the hall tree. The house was unusually quiet. No television on, no kitchen appliances humming, no music from upstairs. Christine was at college this fall, but the twins were a source of racket most of the time.

"Bones?" he called.

Down the hall, the door to her office was open. He peered in and saw her hunched over her desk, shoulders shaking. He hurried to her side.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Dr. Goodman," Brennan stuttered between sobs. "He's gone. I'm feeling quite emotional."

"Gone? How do you mean, Bones?"

"He suffered a sudden massive stroke yesterday and passed away this morning. He had sickle cell anemia and was very careful about following his treatment regimen, but he recently experienced complications. The doctors were adjusting his medications, but something went horribly wrong."

"I'm so sorry. I know he was an excellent mentor to you," Booth said quietly, rubbing her back.

"Booth before I met you, Dr. Goodman was my only real friend. He somehow saw through my abrupt exterior and realized I felt more than I let on. He gave me a chance at the Jeffersonian when my awkward mannerisms caused other administrators to bypass me for long-term employment. Everyone valued my expertise on digs, but when I first sought a position in the states, I had a hard time interviewing. Everyone else wanted me to continue with overseas assignments."

"Dr. Goodman was kind of a father to me before I knew Max was alive. He took the time to see past my clinical personality and get to know me. He gave me the kindest advice, never overbearing, but very encouraging. He polished my lecturing skills and helped me interact with people."

Booth smiled to himself over her head, remembering how blunt his Bones had been when they first met. If Jonathan Goodman had smoothed her rough edges, he could only imagine how implacable she must have been prior to his influence.

"When is his funeral? We'll make a donation in his name to the Jeffersonian Research Fund," Booth consoled her.


	98. Chapter 98

Chapter 98 Writers Choice: Cook

Brennan downed a double-six tile to start the domino game. Pops answered with two tiles on either end of hers. They played Muggins for an hour, as Pops recounted his activities of the past three weeks, ranging from fishing in the Willow River pond with Fred Hargrove to his last crocheting session with Millicent Stoddings. Unlike his Shrimp, Temperance didn't blush when he discussed his lady friends. Rather, she made helpful suggestions regarding how to massage their necks to relieve stiff muscles and arouse their sensibilities without injuring his arthritic hands. They took a break, agreeing to switch to Bergen when they started again. Pops pushed back his chair and rose slowly, then came around and pulled out her chair. She smiled at him.

"I know where Booth learned his courtly manners, Hank. You raised him well. I used to consider it demeaning when he insisted on opening doors for me, but he explained it was an unbreakable habit since you would've 'whomped' him if you caught him failing to do so!"

Hank chuckled, his brown eyes twinkling. "Margaret started that. When we had Sunday dinner after church, she'd make sure the boys were coached on etiquette. The rest of the week was kinda busy." He grew sober for a moment. "They were 11 and 8 when they came to live with us. They hadn't learned much of that at home. Their mom fed them quickly in case their dad lost his temper over something."

The pair drank coffee while sampling the cookies Brennan had brought with her for Pops to share with his friends. Resuming their game, they played another four rounds while she recounted generalities of their recent cases and Parker's latest visit. As dinnertime approached, Pops opened up the battered wooden storage box and Brennan collected the tiles. He leaned toward his night stand, picked up a marble composition book, and handed it to her.

"Here, I want you to have this. I found it last night in my drawer. Forgot I'd even kept it."

Brennan opened the book, which was filled with handwritten script. "Oh, my. Hank, what is - I can't take this."

"Yes, you can. This was Margaret's cook book, in which she wrote her favorite recipes. She used a spiral notebook first but it fell apart, and this one was more durable. I wish she'd had lived to meet you. I know she'd want you to have this. She used it for years, so it has some spots and stains, but there's a lot of goodness in there; Shrimp's and Jared's favorites, mine too. "

Standing quickly, Brennan moved around the table and hugged Pops warmly. They both had a few tears in their eyes. "Thank you, Hank. I'll treasure this, and I'll see you in two weeks."


	99. Chapter 99

Chapter 99 Writers Choice Forgiveness

Booth helped Christine pull open the heavy oak door of St Patrick's Cathedral. They entered the quiet church, whose incense and candle-scented silence contrasted sharply with the traffic noise and sidewalk bustle outside. Even on Saturday Washington DC was a busy place. He watched as his daughter stood for a moment, observing the sacred space. "So much like her mother," he thought, "instinctively gathering evidence before proceeding into an unfamiliar environment."

He felt her reach for his hand, and clasped her small one warmly, his larger fingers giving her delicate ones an encouraging squeeze. She looked up at him and whispered, "Where is the confessional?" "Up there," he said, pointing down the aisle. She took a first step, braver than she felt, he knew.

How many times had he and Jared gone through this drill with Gram and Pops. He knew very well the relief of forgiveness he always experienced after the sacrament, but also the hesitation to bare one's soul as it required. Even as an adult, it was not an easy procedure.

They walked down the aisle, entered a pew near the confessional enclosure, and knelt. After a bit, she glanced up at him for reassurance and he nodded. Together they rose and stood in line until her turn. She looked up at him once more before entering. When she came out, he patted her shoulder and covered her hand on the ornate ancient door knob. She went back to the pew and he followed her path into the little room.

How different it was from the dark cubicle of his childhood; no screen and kneeler anymore. The two chairs faced each other and the priest greeted him warmly in a low voice. Speaking softly, they took turns with the phrases of the ritual's ceremony. Once finished, Booth smiled at the priest. "That little girl before me is my daughter. She wanted to come here with me. St. Patrick's is my favorite church in the city." "It's given spiritual comfort to generations of souls," the priest responded. "I love working here, amid the history of the capital. It's especially reassuring somehow." "Thank you, Father. Have a good day," Booth said.

Once they'd finished their prayers, Booth leaned down and whispered in Christine's ear, "I want to show you something." He led her down the wide aisle to the main altar. "Look at the crucifix." Christine stared at it for a long time, then tugged on his hand. "It's different, not like the others," she observed. "That's what your mother said." Booth told her. "Let's go outside where we can talk."

Once they were back outdoors, he sat down on a bench and drew her onto his lap. "I brought your mom here once, the first time she came with me to church. I wanted to say a prayer of thanks and she asked to come with me," he remembered. "Daddy, what were you thankful for?" "We had a difficult case together and it turned out all right in the end," Booth said carefully. Christine didn't need to know the details of the Gravedigger kidnapping Bones and Hodgins at this age.

"Your mother was amazed at that crucifix. She said it was very realistic and reassuring." "Why did she like it?" their child asked. "Because it is so hopeful. It shows Christ rising, very much alive after His death."

"Do you feel better now?" Booth asked her. "Yes, Daddy, I shouldn't have slapped Henry even though he ruined my painting, and yelling at Mommy was bad. That's why I wanted to go to Confession."

"Yes, honey, it does help to feel right with the world again." She squinted up at him in the sunlight. "I guess I need to apologize, huh?" Booth chuckled, "Yeah, but what do you say we get ice cream first?" "Okay, let's take home some for Hank and Mommy, too," Christine agreed happily.

 _A/N; Okay, sorry, I know I ran WAY over the word limit, but once I got started on this bit, it took a while to tell it right._


	100. Chapter 100

Chapter 100 Writers Choice Indulge

 _A/N: Even though this is Chapter 100, since I mistakenly posted double chapters for a few of the prompts, I actually have a couple more 'writers choice' stories to dream up in order to fulfill the challenge, if my brain is so inclined. We'll see whether additional inspiration burbles forth. Y'all's many kind reviews have thrilled me no end. I wish I could respond to those readers who lack a profile on this site. Thank you so much for leaving such enjoyable encouraging comments. October 1_ _st_ _can't arrive too soon, but I hope we have another hiatus challenge next summer, as that would mean an additional season of Bones was on the way!_

Parker sat on the living room couch, covered by 'rug rats' as his teenage friends called them. His little brothers, Hank and Max, thought of him as a human jungle gym; their own private 'automated' play equipment. He knew he'd be sore come Monday, but considered his patient tolerance as paying it forward, remembering how many Saturday mornings he'd spent climbing all over his father during their precious weekends together. He'd loved nothing better than when Booth took him to the park. His dad would grab him snugly around the waist, facing outward, and swing him in an arc around and around. Parker had enjoyed this immensely, never tiring of the thrill. Booth was always game to repeat it, until they were both out of breath.

Once in a while his grandfather would indulge him this way, but Rebecca didn't allow it often. Booth, on the other hand, was ready to oblige whenever Parker asked. On the rare occasions when he had a friend sleep over at his dad's, Booth would grab each little boy by the hands and hoist them off the ground like giant weightlifter's dumbbells. His father was amazingly strong, but explained that he had to have two kids for balance to achieve this feat. Parker had begun delighting Hank and Max when they were toddlers by lifting them out to his sides in this manner. Now that the twins were five, they were nearly too heavy for him to accomplish it. But that didn't stop his brothers from begging him to try. They loved to be carried piggy back as well. Brennan trusted Parker's judgment implicitly, and chuckled indulgently when the little boys bugged him for these gymnastic stunts. Booth's eyes would mist a bit, watching his sons and remembering.


	101. Chapter 101

Chapter 101 Writers Choice Anniversary

Brennan quietly worked her way out of Booth's embrace to avoid waking him. She slipped on her robe and went to the kitchen to start the coffee. Once it finished brewing, she poured a cup, sat at the counter and gazed outside at two starlings fighting over a worm as she took a first sip. Today was an anniversary they tried hard to forget, but never managed it; Hodgins and her encased in a car six feet down in an abandoned quarry; the miraculous symphony of frantically cooperative investigation which had allowed their escape; that gritty choking first gasp of air and Booth's arms around her as he pulled her free; her agitated pleas 'get Hodgins, find Jack!' and they had.

And two years later, decked out in finery enroute to an awards banquet, she'd momentarily frozen in fear, hearing that cruel cellphone message. Once again the Gravedigger struck. She shuddered, recalling their repeated ballet of determined investigation and analysis which ended Booth's imprisonment on a ship rigged to blow into oblivion. Lost in thought, she didn't hear his approach; jumping when his hand touched her shoulder.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he soothed.

"I hate this date, the memories it brings, the angst everyone endures again," she said vehemently.

"Hey, Bones, calm down, she's gone, dead and powerless. We won, it's just old news. Like 9/11. Painful memories, but only memories, nonetheless. I hate to admit it; but I'm glad Broadsky got her. If she'd lived, I think she might have been another Howard Epps, always plotting an escape and new evils, seemingly capable of inflicting ingenious pain on another poor soul in a continuous parade of horror."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just wish he hadn't gotten Vincent," she sighed.

"Another date that stabs when I remember it. Poor kid, so much potential wasted."

"Yes, but your comforting me triggered our potential, our fulfillment, our future," she smiled up at him.

Booth chuckled. "That potential is trotting down the hall," he whispered as Christine and Hank came into view.


	102. Chapter 102

Chapter 102 Writers Choice Reels

 _A/N: Since I wrote double chapters for two of the prompt words, I've extended these stories to 102 so I've completed the challenge for real._

Parker pulled into a parking place at Willow River Retirement Center and jumped out of his Nissan Leaf convertible. He strode down the sidewalk and through the sliding front doors. Pops was sitting in the lobby, his cane propped against his small duffle bag, engrossed in checking the spinning reel on his favorite pole. His bait casting pole lay on the carpet in front of him next to a Bass Pro Shop sack.

"You ready to go, Pops?" Parker asked his great-grandfather. "You're bringing _two_ fishing poles?"

"You bet, kiddo, these two have caught me more fish than I can count! How else am I gonna teach Hank and Max to fish?" the old man grinned up at him. "Let's get this show on the road!"

"Okay, then, what can I carry for you? What'dja buy at Bass Pro?"

"If you get my bag, I'll bring the poles. I caught a pretty good online sale; so I ordered some new reels. "

"Dad is completely unaware you're coming, Pops; this is gonna be a great Father's Day surprise for him."

oooooooooooooooo

Hank and Max were vibrating with excitement as they watched Booth lift a variety of fishing pole down from wall hooks over their heads. "Daddy, when is Parker coming? When are we going to the cabin? Where are we gonna buy the worms?"

Booth laid the poles on his work bench and ruffled both heads; one curly blond; one dark brown. "He'll be here soon enough, you two. Where are your tackle boxes, boys?"

"In the basement!" the twins chorused and took off running up the porch steps.

"Stop right there! Go back outside and this time don't slam that door when you come in!" Brennan told her sons. The pair slunk back out the door and re-entered. "Well, that time you were a little quieter, not much, mind you, but an improvement," their mother smiled wryly. "Are you two packed? Clothes, underwear, tooth brushes?"

"Yeah, Mom, we even got it all in one bag!"

A key turned in the front door and the little boys thundered over, grabbing the knob before Parker could remove his key. "Grand-Pops!" they yelled.

"Shush, you two, you'll spoil Dad's surprise," Parker chided them.

Eyes wide, Hank and Max clapped their hand over their mouths. "Sowrry," they muttered in chagrin. "We gotta get our tackle boxes, Dad said!" And turning, they thundered down the basement steps.

"Those two are going to break the floor boards stomping around," Brennan complained.

Pops sat down in Booth's ugly yellow recliner. "Temperance, you need to get Shrimp a new chair," he said slyly.

"Hank, you know Booth won't part with that eyesore," Brennan smirked back at him. It was a standing joke among the family.

"Hey, you two, come give me a hug," Hank requested. The twins were soon perched on his knees. "I'm going to teach you how to gut your fish this trip. Now that you are six, you can start learning that skill. We'll have to take great care so you keep all your fingers, or your momma will be hopping mad at me."

The back door opened, as Booth carried an armload of fresh vegetables in, laid them on the counter, and kissed Brennan. "Do we have time to cook this corn and zucchini?" he asked her.

"Surely, Booth, Christine will be home in a hour, so we'll eat then. Until then, why don't you go watch that hockey game you recorded last night?" Brennan urged him.

"Pops! Wow, how'd you get here?" Booth engulfed his grandfather in a hug. "What a surprise, how'd you pull this off?"

"Parker!" Brennan and Hanks said simultaneously.

ooooooooooooo

"Pops, you've been shopping online?" Booth asked delightedly. "Wonders never cease."

"Hey there, Shrimp, I'm a modern man. I know how the internet works, even got myself a account!"

The front door knob turned again, and Christine's auburn head appeared. "Pops, Dad, Happy Father's Day Weekend!" she exclaimed, hugging them both.

"Veggies are done. Everyone to the table. Let's eat while it's hot!" Brennan announced.

Ooooooooooooo

Once dinner was devoured and the dishes were done, Booth carted the twins upstairs under protest. "Russ's family and Max will meet us at the cabin tomorrow. Everybody get to bed. The Booth Family Father's Day Fishing Extravaganza Expedition will commence at 5:30 am tomorrow!" he exclaimed.


End file.
